Unexpectations
by CrypticMoonFang
Summary: Maron begins acting weird; no one but Access knows why. However, when strange dreams start to plague Chiaki, the black angel must choose whether to stay quiet and protect his friend or tell him the truth and hurt him.
1. Chapter 1

~Chapter 1~

I nervously approached my target, a small jade beetle worth millions of dollars. Every step I took resulted in me scanning the room carefully. After finding it safe, I took another step. This happened about a hundred times before I finally came within throwing range of the little treasure. Miyako hadn't come, nor any of her associates. In fact, I wasn't even worried about them right now. It would probably be up on the roof. That was where the demon was probably going to be.

That evil thing...I could never forgive it! Not after...not after _that_. I shook my head and tried to remain focused on the object at hand. It might not be here. It might not have come. It might have forgotten all about me.

I threw my pin without saying my usual phrase. If it was here, I didn't want it to hear me. I didn't want it to see me, to smell me, to touch me. I didn't want it to be near me.

The demon sealed, I collected the pawn and ran as fast as I could to get out. I mean I literally high-tailed it. I couldn't afford to make the same mistake twice...

* * *

><p>"Maron, did you seal the demon?" Fin asked me when I got home.<p>

I nodded.

"Was Miyako trying to stop you? What trap did she have planned this time?"

I shook my head. "She wasn't there. I guess the owner of the beetle never notified the police."

"Why?"

"I don't know and I don't care. I got the demon, what else is there?" I snapped.

Fin averted her gaze. She didn't know why I was acting like this. She had asked me on several occasions, but I had never told her. I had been like this all week. She wanted to know what was wrong, but I just couldn't bring myself to say it.

"I'm sorry, Maron. I didn't mean to upset you," she murmured.

I flopped onto my bed. How long had it been since I truly rested? I was always waking up in the middle of the night. I would toss and turn, and eventually roll off the bed. Fin was getting worried about me. She wanted me to talk, to spill it. No. It wasn't her concern. She didn't need to know, so I wasn't going to be the one to tell her.

Fin floated above my head and put a hand on my cheek. "Maron, you know you can tell me what's on your mind, right?"

I didn't answer.

"Maron?"

I still didn't answer.

Fin rested herself on my head, arms spread wide, legs spread wide. It was her way of giving me a hug. Being so small, it wasn't very easy to embrace someone a good five feet taller than you.

I brushed her off. Hugs, warmth, touch. I wanted no part of it. Heck, I didn't even want Fin in the same room as me! Stupid little angel just couldn't take a hint... I didn't care what she must think of me. I didn't want to be around people. People were nothing but troublesome creatures. The included me. I brought this on myself, I might as well have just _asked_ for it!

I let out a sigh mixed in with a frustrated growl.

Fin knew better than to ask me what was wrong. She was pushing her luck just trying to make me tolerate her presence right now. Any other time I would feel bad for the angel. After all, she honestly had no idea what was making me so snappy. And I planned to keep it that way.

"Maron, my mom wants you to come over for dinner!" Miyako shouted from right outside my door.

I remained silent. My door was locked, as it had stayed that way for the entirety of the week. If she tried to come in, she wouldn't be able to. I refused to open it. I just couldn't stand being around anyone right now. I didn't want anyone to find out; this was my problem, I would handle it on my own.

"Maron? Are you in there?" she continued.

As tempting as it was to say "No." I opted not to. I didn't smirk, smile or laugh.

"Geez, Maron... You're so stubborn sometimes..." I heard her voice fade away as she left to go back to her own apartment.

Well, even though Miyako wasn't catching on yet, Chiaki had been keeping a safe distance from me. I figured he wasn't as dense as I pegged him to be. He must've sensed all the glares I kept giving him, along with almost everyone at our school. Only a select few people dared to go near me, one of them obviously being Miyako. I could easily glare at her all day long, every day. But I didn't, because with Miyako, glares just didn't work. She never seemed to actually grasp the concept of 'alone time'.

I wanted to yell, to scream, to beat the living snot out of something. I didn't. I couldn't. I was Maron Kusakabe, daughter to the two worst parents in the world. I lived alone, I breathed alone, I ate alone, I drank alone, I slept alone, I fought alone. I was the lone wolf of my friends. That was how it would always be. I could take care of myself, I didn't need anyone else. I wouldn't give in to my emotions just to beat something up and make a huge mess everywhere.

I looked into my mirror. I tried to smile and look happy, but it didn't work. I frowned in anger. My eyes, it was my eyes. They kept reminding me of how I felt. I never wanted this; I never wanted to be reminded!

I grabbed the mirror, ripped it off the vanity, and slammed it repeatedly against the wall. Shards started to fly, and Fin was starting to cry. Who. Cared. About. This. Stupid. Ugly. God-forsaken. Mirror!

I threw it on the ground and kicked it away.

I felt an itch and I practically ripped my skin off.

I was ready to kill something if needed.

Fin was the only one who noticed my anger. My chest was heaving and with each breath I growled. My fingers had cuts all over them from the now-shattered mirror. She started to say something, but stopped when I gave her the coldest stare I'd ever given anyone.

"MARON! ARE YOU OKAY, MARON?" Miyako's voice screamed.

I sat down on my bed and tried to calm down.

"Maron, don't make me worry like this! Please, Maron, open the door!" I heard the doorknob rattle and knew she was trying to open it. "Maron!"

Good luck opening that, Miyako. Unless you have the power to break down a hard wooden door to invade your friend's privacy of her home and make her pay for a new door, you wouldn't open it.

I closed my eyes and curled up into a ball. I didn't want to be bothered by anyone. I didn't even want to keep sitting up.

"You aren't going to answer her?" Fin asked very tenderly.

I just rolled back and laid down, my eyes still closed.

* * *

><p>The next morning, I made myself breakfast. I ignored Miyako's invitation to have breakfast at her house. I ignored some of my other neighbors comments about what they heard last night. I ignored Miyako's warning that I'd be late for school. School could wait for me; it wasn't going anywhere.<p>

* * *

><p>At school, everyone was starting to worry about me. Now that I'd been gone for a week, and still wasn't back yet, they were growing anxious about my well-being.<p>

"Maron is skipping school again, I see..." Pokkoliomao-sensei muttered in front of the class. "Miyako, haven't you check on her yet?"

Miyako looked down but replied, "I tried to, but she won't speak to me. I've tried calling her, sending her letters, even banging on her door and begging her to let me in. I don't know why she's acting like this; it's not the Maron I know."

"Did something happen?" the teacher asked.

Miyako shook her head. "No, she just suddenly started acting weird."

Pokkoliomao-sensei sighed and held her forehead. I was such a mysterious girl... Nobody knew anything about my past or my personal life, and now I suddenly decided to stop coming to school altogether? What was wrong with me?

Nobody ever suspected that I had reasons for not attending...

* * *

><p>I laid on my bed and didn't really do anything. I just rested one arm over my eyes and relaxed.<p>

"Maron...please tell me what's wrong..." Fin whispered.

I shook my head and said, "Nothing. I'm fine."

"Um...how about some music to lift your spirits?" Fin said as she turned on my radio. She looked back at me with a smile, but when she saw I wasn't moving or humming or anything of that nature, her smile dropped and she turned the radio off.

"What about if I spy on someone for you?"

...

She moved closer to me. "Well, what about taking a shower or soaking in a nice hot bath for awhile?"

...

"Maron, isn't there anything you want to do?"

...

Fin decided to drop the topic. Sighing sadly, she flew out the window for some fresh air, and hopefully to find a demon. Right now anything was good if it got me out of my apartment. Naturally, she had been trying to do just that since I first started acting weird. If only she knew...but I didn't want her to know.

After I was absolutely sure she was gone, I moved my arm from my eyes and sat up. I stared after her.

My eyes brimmed with tears and I didn't try to stop them from falling. I didn't even wipe them away. I blinked and got up to sit on the couch.

I didn't practice rhythmic gymnastics. I didn't exercise. All I wanted to do was lay on my couch and watch television. All I watched were comedies that I normally would laugh hysterically at. This time they didn't affect me, no matter how many times I replayed the funny parts. I gave up after a few hours of this and let the remote slip out of my hand and onto the floor. As I continued to watch my comedies, I traced little lines and shapes on the floor with my finger.

* * *

><p>When Fin came back, she found me not tracing the floor anymore, but just laying on the couch watching stupid actors and actresses. Although, she couldn't be too sure I was actually paying attention to them. I didn't really seem to look at the TV to watch it. I was just staring and the TV happened to be in my way.<p>

"Maron, I'm home," she said.

I snapped out of my trance. "Yeah. I can see that."

"Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"

"No."

"Don't you want something to eat? You missed lunch," she said.

I sat up and shook my head. "I'm not hungry."

The angel acquired a disbelieving look on her face, but said nothing more. Talking to me had become unpleasant for anyone who tried to do it. Most of the time, just getting me to respond required a great deal of effort, and even then there was the chance I might not say anything. Even Miyako, who repeatedly begged me to either come out or let her in, was beginning to give up. She stopped coming over as often, but still called me whenever she had the time. And Miyako always seemed to have _alot_ of time.

Only Chiaki seemed to know I was trying my best to push everyone away. That might've been why he didn't even talk to me anymore. I actually didn't care. Hopefully he would convince Miyako to just give up altogether, and then I could finally be by myself, despite the presence of Fin.

I was pretty sure, however, that even the teacher was starting to worry. Even though she didn't always act like it, she had a big heart. There was room for every single one of her students in that heart of hers.

And speaking of the teacher...

I heard three knocks on my door, followed by, "Maron, are you home? I need to talk to you."

I turned over on my couch.

"Maron? ...Maron? Ma-"

"She's home, Pokkoliomao-sensei, but she won't talk to anyone. We never know what she's doing because she keeps her door locked and never opens it. I'm starting to wonder if she ever even comes out of there," Miyako jumped in. "Now you know why I can't check on her."

"Maron, are you okay? If something's happened, you can talk to me about it," she told me, trying not to believe Miyako's claims. "Please open the door."

...

"Maron, if you don't open this door, you're getting a zero on all your missed assignments!"

She should know better. Threats wouldn't work with me. I'd already skipped an entire week of school; what made her think she could make me open my door just so she could hound me with a billion questions? I'd already put up with Fin doing that, I didn't need to silence someone else, too!

"Miyako, does anyone around here have an extra key to her room?"

"No. Maron asked the doorman to give her the extra key, so he did. No one's been able to see her ever since."

"Why would she want an extra key?"

"Probably to make sure nobody can get in."

"Is it because she wants protection from something?"

Hm... The teacher had a point. I guess you could call it protection. Or, you could call it desperate to be left alone. Maybe you could merge the two and call it protection of my desperation to be left alone.


	2. Chapter 2

~Chapter 2~

A week passed by, and I hadn't even noticed. Well, until Fin notified me, of course. She had been extremely cautious around me, choosing her words carefully before telling me something. I didn't like to be pestered; she realized that when I locked her outside for a night. Ever since then she had been so gentle with her words that if those words took on a physical form, they would be softer than silk. As much as she wanted to slap some sense into me and scold me for how I was acting, she didn't dare. She was smart to keep a fair distance.

But then there were the exceptions, my work with demons. She didn't quit her job just because of my actions. She still informed me of a demon's whereabouts and which person it possessed. Almost every single time, I refused to go. Sinbad and Access could handle them; I wanted out. And that was exactly what I kept telling Fin. She always objected to this, saying that Sinbad and Access were working for the devil.

I was pretty sure that even they noticed me less and less. This was because I wouldn't go unless I felt like I had enough energy to move that far. Jumping off rooftops and dodging a possessed person's attacks, sometimes even a demon's, just kept getting more and more...unnecessary. My body didn't want to move. My mind wouldn't let me rest enough _to_ move.

I looked at a shard of the mirror I had beaten up. I had yet to clean the mess. Inside that shard, I saw my reflection. My hair, a complete wreck. My eyes, bloodshot and tired. My mouth, never smiling. My lips, dull and bloodied from the many times I had chewed them. I looked like I was on drugs. Good thing I wasn't.

I picked up that evil shard and threw it across the room, waking Fin.

"Maron, is everything okay?" she whispered.

I didn't answer. I couldn't. I turned and walked out of my room. I was so tired, after flopping onto my couch it only took seconds for me to fall asleep.

* * *

><p><em>The demon was towering above me. I was right about to seal it. I was already saying my phrase. But before I could do anything to that demon, I was tackled.<em>

_I looked up to a dark, shaded figure. Two evil yellow eyes glared at me. I swore that thing smiled._

_"Why did you do that?" I asked. "Why are you protecting the demon?"_

I woke to Fin patting me on my cheek.

I shot up, screaming at her, "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Fin backed off.

I felt sick at my stomach. I had to go take a shower. Now.

In seconds water could be heard pattering against the floor. I stepped in, letting scalding hot water run off my skin. I scrubbed and scrubbed. It wouldn't come off!

* * *

><p>Chiaki, being next door to me, heard my screaming and then my shower. He woke up, along with his little Kuro-Tenshi, Access.<p>

"She's up again," Chiaki mumbled sleepily.

"Jeanne's really acting strange. She wakes up in the middle of the night, always shouting the same thing. Then she takes a shower. I don't blame her for wanting to be clean, but still...in the dead of night?" the black angel said.

"And since we live right beside her, we wake up whenever she does," the bluenette added.

Both the boys sighed.

* * *

><p>Miyako also woke up. This wasn't the first time she'd heard me, though she usually slept through it somehow. Miyako was truly worrying about me, but had given up on trying to get me to talk to her or anyone else. The only thing anyone could do when I woke was try to ignore the noise and go back to sleep.<p>

Miyako used to always come banging on my door, pleading with me to tell her what was the matter. I never even gave any indication I was still alive, let alone an indication I was going to talk. They could all just forget about that.

Once, she had gone over to Chiaki's room and managed to get him to try to reason with me. She had already tried and failed. Chiaki didn't get any further than Miyako. I would not speak to them, I did not answer their calls, I did not usually go on my 'missions', and I most certainly did not let them in my house. If I wanted to be left alone, then I would undoubtedly find the means to do so.

Miyako rolled over and tried to get sleepy enough to completely ignore any racket I made. She knew her parents, if awake, were doing the same.

* * *

><p>Chiaki and Access were equally worried for me, but knew just as much as anyone else that there was absolutely nothing they could do. They, too, tried to get back to sleep.<p>

* * *

><p>Everyone else who had woken had their own routine for midnight awakenings, and they were forced to follow that routine when I woke up.<p>

* * *

><p>I stepped out of the shower. My skin was red from scrubbing myself so hard.<p>

I climbed back onto the couch. I was completely unaware that anyone would hear me when I woke up screaming like that.

I was so tired, so exhausted... I didn't bother to dry my hair or even brush it. I had to rest. My feet directed me to my bed instead of my couch. I fell onto it and sighed heavily. I stretched and spent only a few minutes trying to get back to sleep.

Fin pulled on the covers until I had the entire blanket over me.

* * *

><p>The next morning, at school, everyone took their seats. I had woken up four more times that night, so both Chiaki and Miyako were flat-out beat. Access decided not to go with Chiaki. He wanted to stay home to 'look for demons'. It really meant he wanted to catch up on sleep.<p>

Miyako yawned, and Chiaki followed soon after.

"Miyako, don't yawn; it's contagious," he grumbled.

"Tell that to Maron... You know she woke up five time times last night? I didn't get an ounce of sleep!" she complained.

The teacher stepped in at this point, almost as if to my defense. "None of us know what Maron is doing in there, nor why she won't come out. She's probably upset about something and is having nightmares about it. Those nightmares might be waking her up so much. So shut up and get to work!"

Everyone looked at the sensei. She might be onto something, but the real answer was too unclear, because I had isolated myself from the outside world. I had confined myself into my room, and everyone had noticed my absence. There was always an empty seat next to Chiaki, my seat.

I didn't know it, but Chiaki had been missing me. Even though he didn't show it much, he was very worried about me. Everyone was, actually. Not a single person knew what had happened to make me act like this. And they would never know; I would never talk about it.

* * *

><p>After school was over and everyone went home, I heard a soft knock on my door...and here I thought everyone had given up...<p>

"Uh, Kusakabe-san... I have a problem. I really need your help, Kusakabe-san. Please, will you let me tell you about it?" It was Iinchou. He usually didn't talk to someone about problems. This one might be pretty bad.

Fin watched me carefully, hopeful that the door would open for the first time in two whole weeks. She knew I needed to talk to someone, to have some form of human interaction, if only for a moment.

I stared at the door for the longest time, pondering whether I should open it and try to help him, or whether I should keep quiet and wait for him to leave. I wanted to do both, but only one of the two options could actually be done.

"Maron," the angel whispered, "he needs you."

I got off the couch, turned off the TV, straightened my hair out a bit, and rested my hand on the knob. If I saw someone now...if saw someone, what would happen? I didn't want to see anyone. I didn't know if I could look someone in the eye. It was hard even with Fin. After two weeks of absolutely no contact whatsoever, what would Iinchou think of me now?

"Go ahead, Maron. It's okay," Fin encouraged me.

I took a deep breath, unlocked the door, and turned the knob. I cracked the door, not showing my face. "What's the matter, Iinchou?"

"Is it okay if I come in, Kusakabe-san?" he asked nervously. I knew why he was nervous. I had been so harsh to everyone in an effort to push them away. I might've hurt some people's feelings, and Iinchou didn't want to get hurt.

I didn't answer, and I left the door cracked.

"It's just that I don't really want to talk about it where everyone else can hear me," he explained.

Coming from him, that would be pretty obvious. If I had a problem, I wouldn't want to announce it to everyone.

Halfheartedly, I opened the door enough for him to come in.

There wasn't just Iinchou, though. Three people came barreling into my room: Chiaki, Iinchou, and Miyako. I didn't have enough time to push them out before they were all gathered around on my couch, giving each other congratulatory looks.

It had just been a plan set up by them.

Sighing, I closed the door and turned to face them. "What do you want?"

Iinchou shrunk back, half hiding himself behind Chiaki. Chiaki didn't do anything, he just stiffened. Miyako stood up in her normal serious-detective's-gonna-find-out manner.

"We want to know," she said, "why you never come to school anymore! You won't talk to anyone, you won't see anyone, you won't even let us sleep anymore!"

I hissed in frustration. "I don't want to talk about it. Now, if that's all you have to say, I would like you to leave."

"And what's with that attitude? We don't get to see or hear from you in two weeks even though we're your best friends, and you've alienated us!" she continued.

"Leave."

"Tell me, Maron."

"I said _leave_! Get _out_ of my house!" I screeched.

She jumped back; I had never acted like this before, especially not to her. "Maron...what's gotten into you?"

Chiaki acquired a serious expression. I was beginning to act the way a possessed person would. He began looking around, until he spotted Access hiding from Fin behind the candy box on the center of my coffee table. After he was sure Access noticed him, he sent the Kuro-Tenshi a dead-serious look.

Access got the point. He looked around and tried to sense a demon in my apartment. There was no demon. He shook his head to Chiaki.

Now all he had was a confused look. Why was I acting like this if I wasn't being possessed? What had happened to expunge my strong and willful personality? I had become a completely different person!

I grabbed Miyako's arm and pushed her outside. I did the same thing to Iinchou, but I expected Chiaki to leave on his own. And he did.

I slammed the door, and they heard the knob click. Now they would never get another chance to to see me unless I came out. They heard the curtains to the windows being pulled tight. Then they heard the TV being flipped back on, and me slumping back against the couch.

"Why is she like this...?" Iinchou asked quietly.

Miyako shook her head.

Chiaki went back to his apartment.

* * *

><p>That night, Chiaki had the weirdest dream. It was so realistic...so detailed. The weird part was, it was all about Jeanne. Why would he have a dream about me? Was it because he'd seen me earlier today? What caused him to think about this? He could only remember a part of it, but even that part made him feel uneasy. It was like something bad was happening, but he didn't know what. He couldn't remember the situation.<p>

_There I was, right about to seal a demon. A rush came over him, and the next thing he saw were my eyes. They looked up at him. They were so full of torment and pain, shock and disbelief, regret and suffering, a whole slew of emotions, really. They seemed to be trying to tell him a story. They were my once beautiful lavender eyes, now dulled by anguish. They were my eyes. Eyes that could only ask why._

He woke up sweating. He tried to shrug his dream off as nothing.

He looked over at Access, who was still sleeping.

He sighed and laid his head down just in time to hear me scream and get up to take a shower. He hated it when I screamed like that. It wasn't because it woke him up, it was because it gave away how traumatized I was by something. Whatever that something was had stripped away my personality. He wished I would talk to him. He wished he could help me. He wished he _knew_.

But he knew I'd never tell him. He likely would never know. He'd never know because I didn't want anyone to know. If it was just that bad...if it was that bad then why couldn't he be trusted? He loved me, but right now we weren't anything more than really good friends, even though I often acted like we weren't. He knew I had more of an understanding with him than any of my other friends. He was the only one I'd told about my parents. I had confided in him something I'd never even wanted to think about, so what made this so different?

He sighed and heard Access groan.

"Why does she keep going to the shower? Screaming is one thing, but a shower, too? Girls always take such a long time to shower!" he complained.

"Cut her some slack. She seems stressed over something," Chiaki returned.

Access froze and averted his gaze. Access knew. He had been there when _it_ took place. There wasn't anything he could do to stop it; he had just hovered there with a horrified expression stuck on his face. It had been so terrible that he was crying at the time. Never had he thought something like that _could_ happen, let alone to me. And even it did anyway, he never thought he'd have to sit back and watch. But at least Fin didn't know; at least she hadn't seen it.

"Yeah..." he mumbled. "It does seem that way..."

The Kuro-Tenshi couldn't even _imagine_ what Fin must be going through with me like this. He knew I didn't know how much I was changing, but...he was still worried. Fin was such a small angel, a Jun-Tenshi, that if I were to one day snap, I could hurt her. It worried him even more since I was basically retiring from the Kaitou business. He and Sinbad were seeing less and less of us. Fin was always trapped in my apartment, and I stayed in there of my own will.

With every time they went out to seal a demon, he couldn't help but wonder if that would be the time they would never see me again.

A/N

Blum, blum, blum... Please review and all that crap authors are supposed to say. I already know the summary sucked, no need to tell me. I suck at summaries, like 90% of the people in the fanfiction world. I'm not one of those just absolutely amazing authors who can write a good summary and a good story, but I know I always have an interesting plot or two, so I'd appreciate it if there were no flames.

Anyway, SOME CONTENT IN THIS STORY MAY BE A BIT GRAPHIC, so read at your own risk. Oh, and if you don't understand something yet, either re-read some of the previous paragraphs, or wait until it is shown in later chapters.

:3 Right now I bet you're a little confused. ;D Don't worry, you'll know eventually.


	3. Chapter 3

~Chapter 3~

"Maron," Fin's voice hummed to me. "Maron, there's a demon. Will you go seal it? I can activate your-"

"No," I groaned.

"But, Maron...the demon..."

"Let Sinbad and Access handle it."

"They're working for the devil! If they collect all the chess pieces, the devil will gain power! He'll be able to destroy the Earth!" she protested.

I rolled over and held up my Petite Claire. "Last one."

A huge grin appeared on the Jun-Tenshi's face and she didn't hesitate at all to activate my Petite Claire. "I've already sent the notice."

I scowled at her; she knew I didn't want her sending notices without my permission! But it was too late to do anything to stop it now... "What time and where?"

After she had activated my Petite Claire and waited for me to transform into Kaitou Jeanne, she answered, "At the new construction site downtown. It's in a new jackhammer and it's possessing one of the workers there."

"There are a million workers; how will I know which one?"

She sighed. "You've been out of business for too long. Don't you remember what their faces look like? And how they act?"

Oh, yeah... I'd completely forgotten about that. Maybe I had been slowing down. ...But then, I had wanted to stop being a Kaitou for two weeks now. Fin knew that. That was why she was just glad I was doing this, even if I really meant this was the last time. Though I'd most likely forget about what I said in a few days, I might never go seal another demon again. It just increased my chances of coming across..._it_. I couldn't go near _it_ ever again... It was too stressful to be around _it_. No, this would probably be my last mission. After this, I wasn't likely to go on another. Fin had better enjoy this while she could.

For the first time in a long while, or what seemed like a long while, I opened my back door and jumped off my veranda. I still had the makings and moves of a Kaitou, that was for sure. I landed neatly on the ground.

I directed myself toward the construction zone.

* * *

><p>"Access, you told me there was a demon here!" Sinbad scolded as he looked over the construction site.<p>

"It is! There's supposed to be a jackhammer around here somewhere. The demon should be hiding in it," he explained.

The Kaitou threw his hands up in the air. "There's jackhammers everywhere! Just look at this place! They're building a huge mall; it'll be impossible to find the demon like this!"

"Don't take it out on me; it's not like I told the demon to go hide in..." the Kuro-Tenshi's voice trailed off as he spied me cautiously poking around, trying to find the same thing they were. "Uh...nevermind, I must've made a mistake... I don't sense a dem-"

"There's Jeanne! Looks like you were right after all, Access."

Kaitou Sinbad jumped silently off the frame of the building-in-the-making.

Access knew this would turn out horribly. He should've stopped Sinbad, but couldn't. If I heard the noise I would most certainly turn around to check it out. And if I saw either him or Sinbad...well... He just knew I would remember everything in an instant. I would remember. I would remember, and I would run. Sinbad would ask him why I ran. He might start to figure things out, even if some of it wasn't true. He might start jumping to conclusions. Access had been keeping quiet to protect him from the truth, because if he knew the truth, it would kill him emotionally. So the black angel had been acting as if he had absolutely no idea what was wrong with me. Now that Sinbad wasn't hidden anymore, my chances of spotting him were almost a hundred percent.

Access's only hope was that I could find the demon, seal it, and get out before Sinbad could be caught.

* * *

><p>I was very busy sniffing around, trying to find the right machine. My Petite Claire was responding to a whole army of them! It seemed to be somewhere in the middle of the lot of jackhammers. I was trying to follow it, to let it lead me to where the demon was, but I wasn't having any such luck.<p>

I started moving the jackhammers further apart from each other, that way I could hold up my personal little demon-tracking device to each one and find the right one.

Physical labor was becoming harder than it used to be. It was probably because I didn't exercise anymore. On top of that, as if me being out of shape wasn't bad enough, these construction machines were very heavy. So heavy, in fact, that I couldn't lift them; I had to drag them across the ground. Oh, what I did for demon-sealing...

I heaved another jackhammer into place and got started on the next.

I tugged it into a leaning position so I could drag it more easily. I was busy moving it, listening to my Petite Claire incessantly beeping in reaction to the demon's presence, when I bumped into something. I looked over my shoulder, half expecting what I saw.

* * *

><p>Access had chosen to stay where Sinbad had chosen to try to find the demon.<p>

"Oh, no..." he mumbled to himself.

* * *

><p>"Been awhile," Kaitou Sinbad said.<p>

I felt my eyes widen drastically and fear grabbed hold of me. I dropped the jackhammer, unfortunately on my foot, and stood petrified in front of Sinbad. I didn't even feel the pain pulsing in my foot. I waited...waited for him to do something. One might say I was watching him like a hawk. I was.

We stared at each other for the longest time, neither of us moving for what seemed like an eternity of forevers.

* * *

><p>Sinbad didn't move for one reason and one reason only. My eyes. They were the same as in his dream. Terrified, helpless, weak, hurting. He hated that look in my eyes. Hated it with a passion. Why was I showing these eyes to him? What had he done to deserve seeing these eyes? It was like I was scared...of him. His eyes widened with a new thought. Did his dream have any connection to what was taking place?<p>

He tried to remember more of that dream, but couldn't. Something had been happening in that dream. He didn't know what, but it was something. That something had to have involved him somehow. He tried to remember the scene that dream had been set at. There was...there was grey around my head when he saw me. But all he could see were my eyes; he saw nothing else. There were tears in my eyes; something really bad must've happened to me. I was definitely Kaitou Jeanne at the time, because my eye color was otherwise brown. It was so strange...it was almost like that dream had actually happened in reality...

* * *

><p>Access noticed a fifty-fifty opportunity to help me out. He flew down a few feet from Sinbad, and approached his side very slowly, while Sinbad was still thinking.<p>

"Sinbad," he whispered to his friend and partner, "back away slowly."

I flinched when he asked why, but otherwise didn't, and couldn't, move.

"You have to get away from her," the Kuro-Tenshi answered.

Sinbad started to move one foot backward, not bothering to question the angel. He worried that if he talked too loudly or too fast or even too soon, I might get scared and run.

I immediately looked down at his foot, then back at his face. I needed to see his emotions; I needed to know what he was thinking. All the while I didn't even know I was holding my breath.

Once Sinbad had backed away enough for me to feel at least slightly more comfortable, Access moved closer to me. He knew I wouldn't be scared of him since he was so small and couldn't really do much damage.

"Jeanne, we won't hurt you," he told me.

I gulped and kept staring at the rival Kaitou.

He came a little closer to me, catching a little bit of my attention. "It's okay; we're friends. We're your allies. We can help you."

I still held my breath, even though I didn't know it. My face was starting to turn colors from lack of oxygen.

Sinbad kept his distance and watched his angel try to calm me down. It didn't look like I was paying any attention to what he was saying, but I definitely was aware of his presence. The only bad part was that I was too focused on Sinbad; I couldn't bring myself to listen to the little angel.

Again, Sinbad asked himself why I would be so scared. It wasn't a the demon I was scared of, like his first thought, it was _him_. He hadn't done anything to make me react like this, so why...? Why would I stiffen and stare? I was alert, I was watching his every movement. It seemed as though I was waiting for him to make an important decision that, based on whether or not I took it as threatening, would cause me to flee or actually breathe again.

"Jeanne, you have to listen to me, okay?" Access tried. "Sinbad is away from you now; you're safe."

I halfway blinked, keeping every ounce of my eyesight on the thing that scared me most.

"Please, Jeanne...listen." The black angel moved closer to me, to the point where he could reach out a hand and touch my face.

Finally, I looked at him. He knew better than to actually touch me. I was right on the line of fight or flight. I could easily choose one of the two in an instant. All it took was something to shock me. All it took was one mistake, one false move, and I could either go into a hysterical rage or run and potentially hurt myself or get lost. In order to calm me down even the slightest little bit, Access would have to stay calm, say the right words, and keep Sinbad at bay.

"Jeanne, first things, first, you need to breathe," he said.

I suddenly realized I wasn't breathing, and sucked in air for the first time what had to be a few minutes. I was panting, but I was listening to Access, all while keeping an eye on Sinbad, who hadn't moved a muscle. This was because he knew what his friend was trying to do, and he knew that if he intervened now, I would choose rage or run.

"Okay, now just try to relax. It's okay now. Everything's going to be fine. Just calm down and we can talk about this, okay?" he said. His words reminded me of Fin. He was being very delicate, picking his words carefully before saying them. Then he was doing the more suitable thing by pausing to let what he said sink in before talking again.

"M'kay, are you alright?" he asked.

I wanted to nod my head or speak, but I could only bring myself to sigh a, "Huh..."

I glanced back over at Sinbad, but Access moved in front of me quickly. It somewhat startled me, but also sort of expected it. I didn't move.

"No," he said. "Don't look at him, look at me. Pay attention to me. He's not the one here right now."

I didn't try to look past him, I looked straight at his face.

Access made a wrong move, the one slip-up that would send me into a frenzied, blinded fight mode. He put a hand on my forehead. It was intended to be for comfort and support, but it had a very adverse effect.

I slapped him to the ground and tried to run, only to have my foot, still caught under the jackhammer, stop me completely.

This is where another mess-up came into play. Sinbad made the mistake of coming to aid Access by trying to hold me down. He bent behind me, without my knowledge, and cuffed my wrists behind my back so Access could pull himself together and fly to safety. He used as much of his weight as possible to force me down, thus restricting my movements. It was all done to help Access, but...

"LET ME GO! DON'T TOUCH ME!" I screamed. "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!"

* * *

><p>Miyako looked with concern at the scene unfolding before her. I was trapped by a jackhammer, Sinbad was forcing me down, and I was struggling to escape by trying to beat the living crap out of him. And now I was suddenly screaming bloody murder.<p>

Her father, Detective Toudaiji of the Jeanne Special Task Force, had been told about the notice, and the police had informed her of it. She had gone with her dad to set a trap and try to catch me, but now...seeing this... It was really making her reconsider firing all those nets at me. Right now, it looked less like I was the bad guy and more like I was the victim. Kaitou Sinbad looked like the bad guy right now.

* * *

><p>I intentionally convulsed my body, trying to throw him off my back and regain use of my arms. I bucked and squirmed, but nothing was working. He held on with an iron-tight grip. It made it hard for me to breathe, and he probably didn't know how much this was hurting me. It was like being strangled from the lower areas, namely the lungs.<p>

I gasped for breath but still fought for my freedom, repeatedly crying out for help and trying in vain to bite him.

* * *

><p>Miyako could stand it no more. Against her father's orders, she commanded the officers under her dad to chase off Sinbad, using force if necessary.<p>

* * *

><p>The stronger Kaitou released his grasp on me the moment he saw the cops charge after him. He ran off, planning to seal the demon another time.<p>

I had acted so strangely. I had put up such a fight...and for what? What had he done to make me so...so..._frightened_? It was almost like I wasn't just scared of him, I was flat-out _terrified_ of him. But why? Why...?

* * *

><p>With Sinbad out of sight, Miyako rushed over to help me. She called another officer over to help her lift the jackhammer off my foot. Then she helped me up and let me lean against her so my foot could recover.<p>

I clutched onto her shirt as if my life depended on it. At the time, I felt like it _did_. Sinbad and Access...and the whole thing...it was awful...horrible...unbearable even! All I could do was cling to her and cry out my pain, my fear. I could've fled when they removed the construction machine. I could've stayed in my furious rush. But I didn't. I _wanted_ that safe feeling of having these people protect me and chase off my enemy. I _wanted_ to know I could trust someone, even if only temporarily. And I _wanted_ to feel someone hugging me, to feel them giving me that warmth I so desperately needed.

"Kaitou Jeanne..." Miyako was about to tell me I was under arrest for breaking and entering, among plenty of other charges, but didn't. Seeing me like this now, so scared and defenseless, she just couldn't do it. Right now I was not a thief who needed to be caught, but a girl who needed to be helped. She knew this and she wanted to help me. Even if she had been chasing me ever since I'd first appeared as Kaitou Jeanne, she felt sympathy and pity for me. I had relied on her. I'd called out for her help. She would make sure I got that help.

"What's gotten her so upset?" one of the underlings asked as Miyako led me back to her father, in the heart of the police crowd.

The sirens on the cars were turned off when they'd gotten close to the site, so I wasn't alarmed by the noise they would usually make.

Upon seeing me so fragile and broken, everyone grew silent and sorrowful. I was best known for my escapades, which I always made with a strong will and an equally strong attitude. But now...now I had become something seen only in the cinemas. Tears were streaking down my face, and for once I didn't attempt to hide them. My breath was hitching and I just couldn't stop it. I let out occasional whimpers and whines. I was beginning to hyperventilate and it felt like I couldn't pull in enough air to sustain me for very long.

But what startled everyone the most was how tightly I was holding onto Miyako, a detective's daughter. I was letting her lead me to her father without any comment or complaint. I didn't ask if we could turn back, I didn't recommend we be alone. I was willingly clutching her and leaning into her, accepting her kindness with open arms. I was grateful to have a cop right beside me.

It was heartbreaking to see the legendary Kaitou Jeanne so delicate and anguished. I had been struck down hard, and they all knew it.


	4. Chapter 4

~Chapter 4~

In the police car, Miyako and her father were debating whether or not to cut me a break this time or arrest me while they had the chance. It didn't matter if they let me go; after this, I was never 'stealing' something again. I was officially a retired Kaitou. I would not go seal another demon, I would not come in contact with Sinbad again, and I would not ever go through this night ever again!

Miyako was arguing that I was scared beyond recognition. Her dad was arguing that this may be the only chance they would get to arrest me.

I closed my eyes and continued resting my head on my friend's lap. I was still crying; hadn't been able to stop. I was trembling and shaking from fear, and I knew for a fact that Miyako could sense my frailty and feel every twitch I made. This must be why she was fighting relentlessly for my freedom, although, I didn't care. If I was set free, they would never see Kaitou Jeanne again, thus killing their chances of arresting me; if they arrested me, however, then I would be all alone, like I wanted. I would be cut off from civilization, I would get free food, water, and plumbing, and I would not run into _it_.

I could feel Miyako smiling tenderly down at me, as if assuring me I was going to be fine. I didn't smile back. If she was fighting for me, then I didn't want her to fight for a false smile.

My eyes shot open when the fighting stopped along with the car. We hadn't reached the police station yet, but we had pulled over. Apparently I hadn't been listening as much as I thought I had.

The next thing I knew, Miyako was tugging down the collar of my shirt. I honestly didn't know why. I didn't have a special tattoo or anything to show my identity. I didn't have a birthmark or body piercing. So what had caught her attention? What could possibly be on my _neck_ to catch her attention?

This question answered itself.

"Jeanne..." she breathed. "Where did you get this?"

She gently brushed her finger over the area on my neck, which was actually right above the base of my neck. I moved my hand and followed her finger traces. I pressed down a bit on my neck until I finally hit the spot she was talking about. It hurt. It was a bruise.

I winced when I found the spot, letting her know I now knew what she meant.

"I don't want to talk about it," I answered quietly.

I knew very well where that had come from, but I didn't think it had actually been a noticeable bruise up until now.

"It looks like a fist mark," Miyako's father observed. Since he was a detective, and had been on many a case, he knew exactly what had caused the bruises on a body.

"It does..." Miyako agreed. "Jeanne, was this from...Kaitou Sinbad?"

I closed my eyes again and hoped they would just get back to arguing.

"Are there any more of those?" Miyako's dad asked. Surprisingly enough, he wasn't asking me, but his daughter.

Miyako didn't try to rush me into anything. She was very sympathetic, and rubbed my shoulder comfortingly before lifting up my sleeves. I already knew there were bruises on my arms. They were healing much faster than the one on my neck. Unfortunately, though, bruises tend to heal more slowly than cuts or scrapes. These bruises were, by now, a faint brown color. Some of them used to be darker brown. Most of them had healed completely. Now there remained only about two or three bruises left. Previously there had around six, at least.

I sighed, knowing the detective was watching his daughter rub the faded brown areas with the utmost care. He saw them. He saw my marks of weakness. I wasn't strong, I never had been. It was an act. I only looked strong by evading the police using my superior agility. Rarely had I needed to actually fight. Now that he'd seen these marks...

"Jeanne, what did Sinbad do?" Detective Toudaiji asked.

I cracked my eyes. He was looking at my eyes. My tortured, broken eyes. I started to open my mouth, but didn't. I didn't want anyone to know. They _couldn't_ know. I closed my eyes again. I just wanted to rest... I just wanted to forget... I just wanted it all to go away...

"Jeanne, please. We need to know this," he pressed.

"Dad, stop it!" Miyako yelled at her father, almost making him run off the road. She turned to me and sang softly, "It's okay, Jeanne. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

I nodded my head, which was kind of hard to do since my head was resting on Miyako's lap, but I managed. In response, I felt her hand stroke my hair. She did that even when her father and her got back into their former argument. Occasionally I would feel her twirl my hair and play around with it a little. I didn't mind. It felt nice knowing someone cared and wouldn't keep pressuring me into talking.

I felt the car stop, and at first I thought it was just another red light. However, when the car door opened, I opened my eyes and saw myself at Minazuki Park. I was told to get out, that I was free to go this time. Apparently the detective was rendered useless against his little girl's strong and stubborn demands. She'd argued hard for my freedom, and I knew that.

I got out of the car, with much difficulty from my injured foot, and stood silently. I let the look on my face thank them. They seemed to get the hint and smiled tenderly at me.

I jumped up onto a tree branch, almost lost my footing, regained my equilibrium, and watched them as they got back into the car and drove away, Miyako waving goodbye. I put a hand up and waved back at them. Finally, the car disappeared. I was left alone. I was always alone. But this time I wanted to be alone. Alone was good; alone was me. Lonely wasn't a feeling I knew anymore. It was just a word, a word written in the text of my life. My past life. I was a new girl, I'd been reborn the day... N-No...I couldn't remember that! Not now, not ever!

I furrowed my eyebrows in annoyance and stress and tried to shake the memory from my brain. It wasn't working very well.

I wanted to scream, to yell, to beat something up, but I didn't. There was no point in doing that.

* * *

><p>"Oh..." Access mumbled. "Poor Jeanne... She never deserved it. I...I should tell her...but... No, no! I can't! But it might help... Agh! It doesn't matter!"<p>

That was right, I hadn't done anything to get what I'd gotten! It wasn't my fault, but now I was thinking it was. I was sure it was my fault because I had been just that weak and naive. Now the Kuro-Tenshi couldn't help but wonder if I would ever trust anyone nearly as much as I used to. The cops had only let me go because of my current emotional state. I was too fragile, too broken. If I'd been thrown in jail, I probably would've had a heart attack!

* * *

><p>I had just transformed back into Maron. Weak Maron, weak Jeanne. That's how it always went, didn't it? I sat on the couch and waited. I didn't know what I was waiting for. Something, guess. Maybe I was waiting to forget it. Wouldn't that be nice... I sighed as I realized it was an impossible event to forget.<p>

I gripped the edge of my couch as tightly as I could. I was Jeanne; I shouldn't have been so weak! So helpless, so naive, so everything! It shouldn't have ever happened... I wish this had never happened to me! It wasn't fair...it just wasn't...fair...

I hissed as I tried to push back a scream. I had every right to scream, every right to break things. It was his fault I'd lost all appetite... It was his fault I was like this! I was permanently scarred because of him... And there was nothing I could do about it... I was just too weak...

I closed my eyes, trying to hold in tears. No waterworks, I didn't want anymore waterworks. I was so tired of this...the crying, the nightmares, loss of appetite, pain, fear, agony... The list just went on.

"D-Didn't...want it..." I grunted.

Tears spilled over despite my efforts to keep them in. I had bruises all over me because of this. I hated him...hated him so much... I just...I just wanted it to go away... It wasn't much to ask. I couldn't become Jeanne anymore. I couldn't keep facing the risk of meeting Kaitou Sinbad. It was too traumatic, too horrifying. Yet for some unknown reason, I kept remembering it. Every God-forsaken night my subconscience replayed the entire scene, the entire view. All the pain rushed back, every single night. I was so tired of waking up screaming and then feeling the urge to shower.

I sniffled and hiccuped. Who was really at fault? Me or Sinbad? I kept blaming myself and him, but now I was sure it was me. I'd grown too used to Sinbad's sudden appearances. He was just using that. I reckoned he would get close to me, and I'd grown to trust that. I'd grown to trust him... He used that trust against me. He'd thrown it away like it was a piece of garbage. Was that all I was to him? Trash on the floor?

I growled and hiccuped again. How could anyone do that? I had been completely innocent. I'd followed my heart, doing exactly what Fin told me to. I'd become Kaitou Jeanne. I'd tried to seal the demon. As usual, Sinbad appeared right behind me. Well, technically, it wasn't behind me at all; he appeared several feet in front of me, holding up his pin. As I held mine up...a-as I held mine...

The only way to forget was to not think about it. Too much, it was just too much for me!

* * *

><p>"Why did she cry out like that?" Chiaki asked, to no one in particular.<p>

Access took a deep breath, wondering what to say to cover it up. "I guess... I guess she had a nightmare about you or something. Might've freaked her out."

He shook his head. "No, it had to be more than that. She's been screaming 'Don't touch me!' every night for awhile now. I can't help but wonder if that has anything to do with it."

"Dunno. Girls get weird sometimes. Like when she has to shower every night. It's probably just a phase. Just you wait, it'll pass."

"Access, don't act so nonchalant about this! This might be serious! Something's gotten to her. She's scared of it now. I don't know if it was me or not, but...either way..." he trailed off, not knowing what exactly to say next.

His head jerked up as Fin was heard yelling just outside. He opened the door to his veranda and sure enough, Fin had been locked out again.

"Maron! Let me back in! I'm sorry!" she cried.

Chiaki gave Access a look that said, "What happened this time?" And in return, Access shrugged. Made Chiaki feel stupid, actually. After all, why would Access know what happened behind my closed _and locked_ door? Well, other than my nightly scream session.

And speaking of the "scream session", as he and Access had grown accustomed to calling it, that really bothered Chiaki. He'd figured it had a direct connection to my outbursts. He was positive that I had been scared stiff by him, and not by anything else. And then there was that awful dream, no..._nightmare_, that he'd had. He loved me to death, yet somehow he'd had a realistic dream depicting my face. There was nothing but pure agony written on it. I had been crying uncontrollably in that dream. My eyes had been boring a hole right into him, telling him something. Something bad. But what was it?

Access claimed to have no idea, and maybe that was true, but even so, the expression on my face couldn't be forgotten. In his dream, I'd been looking straight at him. Had something happened to me and he hadn't come in time? Or worse...had he done something to me? From the horrible way I'd looked at him, he assumed the latter had happened. Maybe, though it was unlikely, but maybe his dream had something to do with what went on earlier.

* * *

><p>I stood up, putting an arm around myself. My feelings right now? Pain, regret, anger, helplessness, sadness, hopelessness, confusion. Everything bad, really. I didn't know what was happening to me. I had tried my best to do my job... I'd tried so hard to seal as many demons as I could nail... Why did it go so horribly wrong? Why was I so terrified of Sinbad? Well, I knew the answer to that last one, but I refused to tell anyone that. Heck, I didn't even want to tell myself that.<p>

I looked over at my doorknob. It was unlocked, just like Fin had left it. I wondered how long this would go on. I wondered if I should lock the door again. I'd told Chiaki about pretty much all my problems. He'd helped me through them. It was possible that I could tell him what was going on, but... It was risky. I could break down right in front of him. I wanted to stay strong. I wanted to stay Jeanne. But right now the strong rock-like strength I'd built up was slowly crumbling. I used to be unbreakable, infallible. But in one swift night, that had completely turned around. I'd been broken that night, I'd fallen that night.

Sinbad had really done his damage this time... I couldn't even stand to face him anymore. What if he chanced to find out who I really was? What if he found out where I lived? What if he was on his way right now? What if he'd seen my transformation? WHAT IF HE ACTUALLY KNEW MY IDENTITY? WHAT IF HE'D FOLLOWED ME HERE? WHAT IF HE WAS HERE NOW?

I rushed out the door, but quickly halted. It was nonsense. I'd been very vigilant. The only person I saw on my way back was Chiaki.

I turned around and went back inside. I closed the door and locked it. I was always hiding behind this door it seemed. I suppose not everyone could be helped. Maybe some problems just couldn't be erased. This one was probably one of them.

I held my head gently with my hands. I wanted comfort, I really did, but whenever someone offered it to me, I rejected it and pushed them away. Why? I...I didn't understand any of this! All I had to do was unlock that door. That was it. It was just that simple. I hadn't been able to bring myself to face society because of how ashamed of myself I was. I still was unimaginably ashamed, but...

I walked back up to the door, the one barrier separating me from the rest of the world. I began to reach out toward the lock, but I hesitated. If this was unlocked, I might crack. Forget cracking, I might reveal everything! Then I'd never hear the end of it... I didn't want people's pity. Constantly reminding me of what happened... But what if there was someone just waiting to help me? What if Chiaki was right outside my door, ready to offer me a new barrier? Ready to offer me comfort? Ready to say it was okay to cry?

I fell to my knees. I just couldn't do it. I was permanently confined to my apartment. I'd missed school for how long now? I was a wreck. I couldn't even face my best friend. I'd shoved her out of my life like she was nothing. And Fin...she had been more than my friend, she had been the only family I had. I couldn't stand to face even her... I could face myself anymore...

It was hard just to keep going. I hadn't cleaned my room in forever. The shattered mirror was still there, on of its broken pieces reflecting me. My hair was unbrushed, still. My lips were cracked. My eyes were red and puffy. Tears bled onto my face. The kitchen looked about at as bad as I did. Unwashed dishes cluttered the counter and sink. There was a stain on the kitchen rug from where I'd broken down and dropped my spaghetti. There was a pot still on the stove. A pan that I'd dropped awhile back leaned against a cabinet door. One of the cabinet doors was still open.

My bedroom was worse than the kitchen. Aside from the shattered mirror, pillows had been shredded and thrown across the room. Dirty clothes lay everywhere. The covers had all but fallen off the bed. The sheets were crumpled into a tight ball. There were two holes in the wall. Not surprising; the bedroom was where my fits of rage usually took place.

I sighed heavily and looked at my knuckles. They were cut up and scraped from the holes in the wall. It was official. I could barely function.

I stood up. For a second, I thought about unlocking the door. But I decided against it. It was stupid, thinking someone would understand me.


	5. Chapter 5

~Chapter 5~

_~Chiaki's POV~  
><em>

_"STOP! Please! I don't want this!" she screeched. "LET ME GO!"_

_She opened her eyes.__ They were lavender. She was Kaitou Jeanne. __Tears flooded her eyes as she wondered why this was happening to her. But what was "this" exactly? Why was she crying? Why did she look so pained? Her face was red, but I didn't know why. There was a greyish surface behind her head. There was a tint of red. What was it? Was that blood? Was she bleeding? Why was she bleeding? What had happened? _

_She squirmed. She was underneath me. Why was she underneath me? Had she been in some kind of danger? This had happened once before, where she had been in danger and I'd saved her at the last minute. __I__'d protected her by tackling her to the ground. The force pushed both of us backward and she'd ended up under me. Was this a flashback of that time? No, it couldn't be. She hadn't been bleeding that time. She also hadn't screamed, "I don't want this!". _

_"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she cried out suddenly. "HELP! Please, somebody! ANYBODY!"_

_I placed a hand over her mouth, muzzling her voice. Why did I just do that? Her voice echoed throughout my mind. Was I trying to protect her from something? If so, what was that something? Wait, I _couldn't_ be trying to protect her. She wasn't screaming because she was mad at me, like she always was...she was screaming out in terror. What...what had I done though? I would never hurt her. Never. How was it even remotely possible that I, of all people, was the threat? ...That was it. I wasn't the protector this time. I was the danger! Oh, God... WHAT DID I DO? _

_She continued to resist, she was trying so hard to fight back, but somehow she didn't have the power. Make it go away... I didn't want to see the ending of this! Please, don't be what I think it is! This had to be some kind of mistake, some kind of sick trick. It had to be wrong!_

_I made a single swift, involuntary movement. She stiffened. There wasn't a word to describe her voice. Even suppressed by my hand, her voice shrieked and seemed to shake my very heart. It was the loudest, most agonizing thing I'd ever heard in my entire life. I wanted to cry right then. I didn't. I wanted to tell her I was sorry for whatever that movement was. I couldn't. I wanted to hold her and tell her I regretted that. I wouldn't._

_I uncovered her mouth. "How did that feel?" No, God, please...don't answer that, Maron... _

_She hiccuped as new tears came to replace the old ones. Her voice quivered. Her words were just barely below a whisper. "It...hurts..."_

_I knew that if I continued to watch this, my heart would explode. If it didn't, I would pull it out and crush it._

_"Say my name, Jeanne. I want to remember this moment."_

_She hesitated, probably wondering if I was going to do something else to her._

_"SAY IT!" I held her chin up. My other arm grabbed her shoulder and squeezed. Somehow I took pleasure in all this. I didn't want to take pleasure! How could I...why would I do this to her, even in a dream? This was so horrible... There was no way this was a flashback. I would never do anything to harm her. Granted, I still didn't know what was going on yet, but I knew I was doing something bad._

_She yelped. "Sinbad! Your name is Sinbad!" The poor girl's chest shook as she struggled to breathe through her fear. No... N-No... I couldn't have done this. I couldn't have hurt her like this! I couldn't have hurt her at all!_

_I slapped her and she cried out in both pain and terror. _

_"Louder!"_

_"SINBAD!" She closed her eyes. She didn't want to look at me. I didn't blame her. I was crushed. I was put on this earth to protect her. And now...now... What would she think of me if she found out Chiaki was Sinbad? After Sinbad had done all this to her... No, that couldn't happen! This wasn't real! Wake up, wake up! Please, wake up!_

_I smoothed a finger over her forehead, making her flinch at my touch. She turned her head away.  
><em>

_"N-No more...please..." she begged softly._

_I raised a fist and punched her, instantly silencing her. "I'll do what I want with you!" I realized a moment later that I'd punched her neck. It was already turning red, meaning that it would be one heck of a bruise later._

_She whined lowly. It was too obvious that she wanted it to end. But why was I doing this? I didn't even want to know what "this" was. But it was looking more and more like rape. That was the last thing I would do to her. It hadn't ever even crossed my mind to do such a thing. I wasn't that kind of person! She had to understand! It couldn't be me doing this! Please, let her understand!_

_As soon as I relaxed my muscles, she thrashed violently in a desperate attempt to get away. I tried to hold her down, but I was too unprepared for this. She made it out from under me. She stood. She looked at me. I thought she was going to fight. _

_She turned heel and ran as fast as she could. _

_I ran after her and tackled her. At first she withstood my assault, but I turned her sideways and in a split second, I rammed my knee into her stomach. It had to be the hardest hit I'd ever thrown at anyone. _

_She crumpled in on herself like wet paper. She stumbled around for a second, then collapsed, still fully conscious. Why would I do this? I hated doing this to her! Why was this happening? This...this couldn't be real! There was just no way! Besides, I had no memories of this ever having taken place. I would definitely remember something like this. Something so gut-wrenching..._

_Struggling, she brought herself to her feet. The reputable Kaitou Jeanne was reduced to nothing. _

_No... That wasn't me! I was the one who always showed up to save her! I was the hero! I-I couldn't believe I was doing this... This was...unthinkable...unimaginable... Poor Jeanne... So much pain brought upon one person... She was already lonely, she had already been hurt by that loneliness. She didn't need this! No one did!_

_"You're weak, Jeanne," I remarked. "You've always been weak. You'll always be weak. Aren't you supposed to be the famous Kaitou Jeanne? Aren't you supposed to be worthy of that name? Look at you! You can't even defend yourself! You're worthless, Jeanne. Your own parents abandoned you. They never loved you, their only child. If you had just been better, maybe they would have actually hugged you. Maybe they would have been there on your birthdays. Maybe they would have loved you."_

_"You...you're..." She fell to her knees, her entire past cracking and changing. This was such a huge blow. After this there was no doubt that she would count herself as nothing. _

_"Am I wrong, Jeanne? You can tell me if I'm wrong," I added._

_The girl remained silent, except for a few quiet sobs. I didn't want her to cry... I never wanted to hurt her... Why was I doing this? WHY? I loved her, I had never done such a horrid thing! I would never do such a thing, especially to her! I wanted to wake up. This had to be a dream. Please, someone wake me up! Tell me this never happened!_

_A thick wooden board suddenly seemed to pop up in my hands. _

_God...please don't... Don't...don't do this..._

_I knew Jeanne saw the plank, but part of me thought she wanted to die. After all she'd been through, even having her parents kicked through her skull, perhaps she didn't find life worth living anymore. Maybe she just wanted everything to end, right here, right now. Although I didn't blame her for it, I couldn't help but want the opposite. She was Kaitou Jeanne. She was Maron. She shouldn't be experiencing the most brutal rape in history, she should be making the police look like fools. She should be planning something for her birthday, which was almost here. She should be at school or practicing for gymnastics or planting flowers. She should be having a good life. _

_And I was shattering her._

_I held the board above my head, then slammed it on her with all the physical strength I could summon. I'd hit her so hard that the board itself had snapped in two. _

_It seemed like an eternity had passed as I watched her fall. Her long blonde hair was immediately tainted with red. Her eyes seemed to close ever so slowly. Her mouth parted slightly. Her entire body had gone limp. She hit the concrete hard. Blood pooled around her head, staining even more of her beautiful hair. _

* * *

><p>"MARON!" I shouted.<p>

I panted as I began to realize that it really had been just a dream. The sun had already risen. Access was hovering over me, a worried look on his face. I slowly sat up, still in a bit of a daze from the unbelievable dream I'd just had. I thought my heart was going to pop out of my chest.

"Sinbad...are you alright?" Access whispered.

I didn't answer him. I quickly got dressed and hurried out the door, not forgetting to grab a paper clip on the way out.

* * *

><p>~Maron's POV~<p>

I sighed. I was still on the couch, the same place I'd been since last night. Normally I'd be late for school. But I'd stopped going at all. How could I face my teacher, and Miyako? I'd alienated them all. The only one who would want to stay now would be Fin. ...But even she could only take so much. I gritted my teeth and frowned, new tears coming to my eyes. I was so stupid. If only I'd been more cautious... None of this would have ever happened...

And to spoil something else while I'm at it, today was my birthday. It was my birthday, and my hair still wasn't brushed, I hadn't even brushed my teeth yet nor flossed them, I'd bitten my lips so much and so hard that they were scabbing and bleeding, tear trails always streaked my face, whether they were dry or wet, and finally, my eyes were still so red and so puffy. The odd thing was, I didn't really care. This was nothing compared to...it.

"I hate you, Maron," I mouthed to myself. I don't think I was psychotic for saying that. After everything Sinbad had told me, all of it turning out to be true, I had a right to hate myself. He'd told me I was weak. I was. He'd told me I was worthless. I was. He'd told me I wasn't worthy of being a Kaitou. I wasn't. He'd told me I was unloved even by my own parents. I was.

He had beaten me. He had bruised me. He had torn me apart. He had ripped out my heart. He had shredded my soul. He had used me. He had thrown me away like I was a dead rat.

I lifted my shirt up a bit to reveal only the edge of a black and purple bruise. Well, at least the edges were blue now. At least it was healing. Even after this whole time, it was still black. I couldn't even lay on my stomach without tearing up from the sheer pain it inflicted. But now it was healing, now it was going away. A shame it was a little swollen... I sighed. He'd kneed me so hard the bruise itself had swelled into a small bump. Why would he do something like that? I'd never been hit that hard in my entire life. And when the blow finally came, it was from the last person I had expected. Kaitou Sinbad.

Now _there_ was a guy worthy of the title. A real Kaitou would stand strong and let no one get in his or her way. When had I ever done that? Sinbad had knocked me down. I hadn't even tried to get back up. I still didn't want to get back in the game. Checkmate.

I was the beaten end of Kaitou Jeanne. Forget about all that incarnation crap. The real Jeanne, Jeanne d'Arc, would've taken up her strength and would never have backed down. I wasn't like that. I wasn't her. I had _let_ myself be dominated.

Congratulations, Sinbad. You've managed to pick off all the competition. As for the human souls and all, well...humanity was a plague anyway. I proved it. Sinbad proved it.

And then what came next? I had continued his work by beating myself up. Whether it was physically, like punching holes in the wall or breaking mirrors, or mentally, like reliving the nightmares each time I went to sleep, I was drowning myself.

I spent the rest of my day staring at nothing. I didn't really think about anything in particular. I just kept wondering why this happened.

Sometime at around seven or eight in the night, something clicked. It was Fin. She must've finally found a way to get back inside. That little angel could be smart, whether I wanted her to be or not. Sometimes it was a hindrance, like in an instance such as this. But back when I was Kaitou Jeanne, her brains were a huge help. Back then she gave me advice, told me what to do in certain situations, and helped guide me along. Now I didn't need that. I'm not saying I didn't need her, but right now I just couldn't stand to talk to her. I couldn't see her, talk to her, feel her... Really couldn't do anything with her right now.

Maybe not ever again.

I could easily imagine Fin outside, baffled at my behavior. Probably remembering the times we shared as friends, partners, and family. We argued, we made up, we talked, we helped each other, we had fun, and we enjoyed each other's company. Maybe I would miss those times. Maybe I would go so far as to forget them.

A second click came. Fin had to stop. I would think that even _she_ would know when enough was enough. And this was enough.

The thing that changed my mind, the thing that told me it wasn't Fin, was the sound of my doorknob opening. The door itself didn't open, the person outside could possibly be wondering if they actually wanted to come in. For the first time, I wouldn't stop them. Part of me missed human contact. The other part of me loathed human contact. The latter part had had enough of that with Sinbad.

I sighed, closed my eyes, and tried to block out the memories. If someone was going to see me, I was going to make sure that they weren't going to see me like this. I don't know why I even cared. It wasn't like they were going to stay here forever. Hopefully in a few years, whoever it was would forget about me and let me rot in here..._alone_.

* * *

><p>~Chiaki's POV~<p>

I peeked through her door, just now removing the paperclip from her doorknob. She didn't move. Either she was asleep, or she didn't notice that her door was being opened. Or maybe she did, but didn't want to move. In any case, she just lay there, motionless, on her couch. Her normally sleek, pretty brown hair was tangled and messy. From what I could see, she had been crying recently. Also from what I could see, one of her arms dangled limply over the edge of the couch. She was in her pajamas.

I was right about to slip quietly inside, but a small hand grabbed my wrist. When I turned to see who it was, I found that it was Miyako holding me back. There was a pained spark in her eyes, but also determination and the longing to help.

I sighed. This was Maron. And a few weeks back she had fallen apart. I wasn't entirely sure from what, but I had a feeling that her current state was somehow linked to my dream.

"Chiaki," Miyako whispered, tears starting to well, "help her."

I nodded. She seemed to understand that Maron wouldn't respond positively to more than one person at a time in her apartment. Maron needed to be reminded of who she really was. And that just wouldn't happen if she felt uncomfortable.

I picked up my present from off the floor and tiptoed inside. I don't know why I was being so quiet. In fact I kind of felt like I was trespassing. Technically I was. She hadn't _let_ me in, I'd let myself in. But it was for her own good. If I was pushed out, that was fine. But I wanted to give her a birthday present, just so she knew there were people who still cared about her. Just so she knew there were people she could talk to.

I closed the door gently behind me and locked it. Now there would be no one to disturb her.

"Maron?" I whispered. She didn't move. She didn't give any indication she'd even heard me.

I walked over to her, dropping the whole "silent" deal, to find her fully awake. She didn't look at me, she didn't even seem to be alive. So you can only imagine how relieved I was when she blinked.

Some people would take this offensively, but given what she possibly had gone through, I didn't blame her one bit.

"Happy Birthday, Maron!" Well, I tried at least. She still didn't do anything. Probably didn't care that it was her birthday. Probably too focused on...well...whatever it was she was thinking about right now. That is, if she was thinking at all.

"I got you this gift," I coaxed, mustering a smile for her. "Of course, if you don't like it...uh... So hey, why don't I take you somewhere special for your birthday? That sounds nice, doesn't it? Going somewhere?"

My smile dropped. It was like she was unconscious, like she was in my dream. She literally didn't care about anything anymore. It was like she just wanted to leave the world behind, go somewhere else and get away from everything.

"I know!" I said, as if some brilliant plan had hatched inside my brain. "Why don't I make you a special dinner? Oh, and a cake! I'm not all that great at cooking, but I'm sure I can borrow a recipe book from Miyako's mom. What do you think?"

She furrowed her eyebrows and turned onto her side, facing the other way. She went so far as to grunt to show her displeasure. I wanted to reach out and rub her arm, to tell her that everything was going to be okay and that I would try to make this the best birthday she'd ever had. But in order to do that, I would have to bring her parents. And I didn't even know where they were. Oh, this was going to be hard.

Maybe she thought I wasn't seriously going to do anything. Could be that she thought I was just saying things to get her to talk to me. I already knew she didn't want to talk to me. Or anyone, for that matter. Besides, there was a reason she'd isolated herself.

I rushed out to get a recipe book from Miyako's mother. I was right back in in a flash.

* * *

><p>It took at least five pots to finally not burn the contents to dust, but I succeeded in making Maron's birthday dinner. I had made lemon-seasoned baked chicken with dumplings as a side dish. It might not have been the best dinner ever, but I hoped this was good enough.<p>

I'd decided I would just get her cake from a local bakery rather than try it out myself. I wasn't exactly a master chef...

I arranged her food neatly on a plate, one that wasn't dirty, and put it on the table in front of her couch. I fixed myself a plate and sat on the floor across from her. I'd have sat on the couch but she seemed pretty reluctant to get up. And right now I wasn't very willing to test her.

I blew on my steaming food, waiting for it to cool down. The only thing indicating Maron was still among the living was her side, rising and falling with her every breath. Part of me was hoping the food would help cheer her up and maybe even get her to tell me what was wrong, but somehow I knew it wouldn't be enough. What she had been through was simply too powerful. For a guy, food might fix it, but for a girl...nothing might fix it.

It was still shocking. Maron, the girl who stood up for herself and constantly told herself she was strong and could handle anything, wouldn't even talk anymore. Now she had nightmares. Now she sat and cried. Now she didn't really do anything. It had gone far beyond sulking. This was a serious depression she was going through. I know for a fact that this wasn't caused by me, but I needed to know who it was in my dream. True, she'd directly told me it was "Sinbad". However, I could've put myself in place of whoever had done that- Agh, what was I thinking? It was just a dream. Maybe my subconscience was worried about her and had conjured up those images. My dream probably didn't have anything to do with her.

"It's getting late. You should eat. It's really good!" I mustered another smile, as though she could see it while facing away from me, but quickly turned it upside down. She wasn't listening in the slightest.

I looked down at my food. I doubted she would touch hers. It would probably still be there in the morning. I couldn't help but feel bad even though this wasn't my fault. Here she was, stuck in her apartment day after day, aside from that one time she'd come out to seal a demon. No doubt that was Fin's doing. But even so, her first trip outside in awhile, and somehow I'd spoiled it for her. How long would it be before she came out again? All things considered, it may very well take years.

I sighed and picked up my plate, returning it to the kitchen. There, I put my food in plastic containers and stored them in the fridge. The food itself was still warm, and it still smelled really good. I even managed to make it look appetizing. But it didn't seem to do anything for Maron. I didn't want to eat it anymore either. Seeing Maron like this had made me lose my appetite.

I returned to her living room and made sure she was okay. If my dream had been real, then all her bruises had healed.

I reached out to gently touch her shoulder.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screeched.

My hand snapped back as soon as the sonic boom came.

She sat up and glared at me. "I do _not_ want you to touch me. I do _not_ want you to talk to me. And I do _not_ want you to look at me."

Her voice was saturated with venom. She'd never talked so harshly to me before, even when I was making perverted comments about her. Her eyes had never looked so hurt and angry before now.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"SHUT UP!"

I stood up and looked at the door. At first I thought it was a good idea to leave. But then I realized that it was exactly what she wanted me to do. She probably wanted someone to help her, but she didn't want to get hurt again. It made sense when you put it that way.

I sat back down and smiled. I was most likely irritating her right now, but she knew how stubborn I could be. And God knows I knew how stubborn she could be. Now it was kind of like a game between Kaitous.

_I held the board above my head, then slammed it on her with all the physical strength I could summon. I'd hit her so hard that the board itself had snapped in two. _

I blinked. This wasn't a game, this was for real. The girl needed help and I was the only one capable of giving it to her.


	6. Chapter 6

~Chapter 6~

~Maron's POV~

Two entire months had passed since Chiaki trespassed on my property. I'd tried many times to kick him out, going so far as to threaten a restraining order. He hadn't listened. It was so infuriating!

...But I didn't want to talk to anyone. Emotions were often clear through the way a person spoke. I _literally_ didn't trust my voice. Which meant that a restraining order was out of the question.

Nevertheless, why did he stay? He did everything, from making meals to cleaning my apartment to fetching the groceries. There were still many nights he was gone, something about errands he had to run, but even if I locked my door, he used a paperclip to open it. Why? It would be so much better if he could just go away. And I didn't understand this weird look he got in his eyes whenever he looked at me. I wish he wasn't here.

Not to worsen the situation, but the bruise Sinbad had so generously bestowed upon me had swollen further, tripling in size. The bruise itself might be swollen, but thankfully the color was lightening up. A lot. Now there was no black, just a big purple blotch on my stomach surrounded by a hint of blue. then the blue was surrounded by traces of brown. The swelling would go down as my body healed. The only reason I worried about it was because of Chiaki. He might see it. He might discover the bruise. He might start asking questions.

I couldn't take anymore grillings. I'd had enough of it from Fin, who, by some miracle, found a way back inside no matter how many times I locked her out. I didn't have to worry about her as much since Chiaki couldn't see her. If it was Sinbad, that would be a different story. I realized how lucky it was that I had to deal with only Chiaki, but I still wished he would leave.

But there was a bright side, even to this. Being a girl meant bad news when facing off against a guy. With Chiaki here, I had a little extra protection should Sinbad show up. If he should find out where I lived, then Chiaki could buy some time while I got away. After all, men were supposed to protect women.

But that didn't mean they did. Ever since my encounter with my rival Kaitou, I'd acknowledged that fact. I knew too well that nobody could be fully trusted. I'd trusted Sinbad, for some unknown reason, and now look what happened. Perhaps I'd simply grown too used to having him so near me every time I went to seal a demon. Maybe I was just too naive. I should've seen it coming, though. That first kiss, and then the second one, both forced on me. It was like I was asking for trouble. Why hadn't I even considered a possibility of Sinbad, a servant of the devil, hurting me, a servant of God? Why had I allowed him to keep getting closer and closer to me? I'd avoided police, mocking them even, yet I'd let Sinbad kiss me twice! And I didn't even want to be kissed!

How could I have let that happen? Why had I trusted him this whole time, all the while knowing that he had sworn his services to the devil?

And then there was Chiaki...

_"Damn uncute girl!" "Being 'uncute' is fine with me!"  
><em>

_"Ah, you have a nice figure."_

_"What color are they today?" "What are you talking about?" "Panties."_

_"Hey, you're cute. Want to go out with me?" 'What a skirt-chaser he is!'_

Even Chiaki objectified me. Was that all I was? Just some toy? Just something for everyone to look at? Did anyone ever stop to think that I was also a human? That I also had feelings? I feigned confidence and happiness all the time. I put on a fake smile and muddled through the days. I couldn't do that now. All I could do was wait to forget this whole thing. Or at least wait for myself to get to a point where I could go back to school, put Happy Maron back on, and keep pushing through.

It was so stupid to think I was tough enough to take on anything. Whenever I was Jeanne, I honestly felt like I could take on something bigger than myself. Maybe that was why I let Sinbad get too close to me. Could be that I'd gotten a little _too_ courageous. I never thought that there was a stopping point to courage. Well, now I knew there was, but I didn't know that before it was too late.

I sat up in my bed. I had to force myself to eat now because I was never hungry. I had to force myself to stay awake all night, every night, so I wouldn't dream. I'd passed out a few times from this already, and had dreamt. It had worried Chiaki and Fin that I wasn't getting necessary sleep, but there wasn't anything they could do to make me sleep.

Maybe tomorrow I could go to school, and hopefully Chiaki would think I was fine afterwards. I only had to wait another... I turned over and checked the time. I only had seven hours to go before I could get up and get myself ready for school. I could play my little stunt and then hole myself back up, this time making sure to excuse myself as being sick. The "sick trick" wouldn't hold up forever, but at least it would buy me a considerable amount of time to think. Right now everything that had happened seemed so unreal, like it was a blurry dream. I needed that extra alone time to grasp the concept. Might sound stupid, like I should already know and all that, but unless you went through it, you had no right to talk to me about it.

* * *

><p>When I decided it was time to start the day, I slid out of my bed and hurried to see if Chiaki was still watching me. And yes, I said "watching". Although I'd told him I didn't want him to look at me, he still checked up on me to make sure I was doing alright. Was it sweet? Yeah, sure. Did I want it? No.<p>

I sighed in relief when I found him conked out on the couch.

It didn't take too long for me to get ready, especially considering that I'd already showered in the night.

When I was done, I slipped through the door. I was decked out in my school uniform and my usual hairstyle. I really didn't look like I had been out of my normal morning routine. The only real difference was that this time I was earlier than Miyako, who always claimed we'd be late if we didn't get a move on. Or at least, that's how I remembered it. Who knows? Maybe she's changed. Or maybe not...which meant she could be out here any minute.

Seeing me would be a nice surprise for her, but bad news for me. Her excitement might wake Chiaki. I just hoped no one would notice the little lump on my stomach from where the bruise had swelled. I didn't exactly have a coverup for that yet and it would seem too suspicious to keep stalling to think of one.

I practically bounded to the elevator, taking huge, unladylike strides to reach it as fast as possible.

* * *

><p>There were already several students, the majority of them actually, in class by the time I arrived. So then Miyako really <em>was<em> right about being late... When I first opened the door, nobody really thought anything of it and continued studying before class started. Not even the teacher look up from her desk to greet me after my ridiculously long absence. I heard a few pages flip as students kept reading and reviewing for tests or pop quizzes. Geez, I hadn't thought to expect a test... Next time I do this, I'll remember that.

When I closed the door, a few of the students turned from their books to look at who had just entered. Once they saw who it was, they couldn't look away, their mouths open in shock.

It was only a few minutes after I sat down at my desk that Pokkolymoayo-sensei looked up from her own book, whatever book that may be. I could see her eyes widen with the same shock the other students felt. And then I saw tears...something I really hadn't expected. I knew that she had a soft heart underneath all that tough-love personality, but the way she was fighting to hold her tears back didn't escape my attention.

Next thing I knew, I was being brutally crushed by what felt like the arms of some unrealistically strong gorilla. Looks like she had the strength to match her personality... I felt like I was going to explode if she squeezed me any tighter.

"Th-Thanks...sensei..." I managed.

She released me from her death grip and I immediately sucked in precious oxygen. "What happened, Maron?"

I felt kind of guilty for having her worry so much about me, but the last thing I wanted was _that_ kind of concern, that genuine pity that everyone inflicts upon you. Those words that everyone always asks about major things like this. And most importantly, those awful questions everyone throws at you. They wanted you to talk, they wanted to know all the details. I just couldn't do that right now. It was a low probability, but maybe at some point further on the timeline, they would know about half of it.

I had to make something up. "Nothing much, I just got caught up in some stuff."

"What kind of stuff? What happened?"

"It's alright, sensei. Life just kind of got in the way, you know? I got really sick and I had to get surgery for it. It took me some time to heal, and it took longer for me to feel better again. Also, my cousin got married recently. I had to travel to an entirely different country to attend the wedding. When I got back, I got sick again. I've been locked up in my apartment ever since then, and I'm finally better, so I decided to go back to school." Geez... I would regret these lies later on, I just knew it.

"Oh, I'm sorry you got so sick," she breathed, as if a truck carrying thirty elephants had been lifted off her shoulders.

"I'm fine now, Pokkolymoayo-sensei," I assured her. I tried to smile, tried to put Happy Maron back on, at least for today, but I couldn't do it. My heart was too heavy. I thought there was a weight on top of it. Wish that weight would squish my heart, do me a favor.

I sighed as she returned to her desk. She left wordlessly. I wasn't sure if she was too relieved for words, or if she didn't know what else to say. Maybe she didn't want to burden me with any questions. Maybe this was her way of restraining herself from asking them. If that was the case, then I was more than grateful.

I sat in my chair and scooted up to my desk, pulling a textbook out and starting another chapter in History. I could already tell it was going to be a long day...

* * *

><p>~Chiaki's POV~<p>

I was shocked to find Maron missing when I woke up. I looked everywhere, from the living room to the bedroom to the kitchen to Miyako's apartment. She wasn't anywhere. Miyako was just as concerned when she learned Maron was gone. We both decided to skip school so we could look for her.

I refused Miyako's request to split up and broaden our search. Miyako's father wasn't home. Miyako's mother had been told about Maron's disappearance, and decided to wait at home in case Maron came back. With news of a recent kidnapper on the loose, I didn't want to take chances of another disappearance.

Luckily, there was no way the kidnapper had gotten hold of Maron. I had been staying with her this whole time, so she had left of her own accord.

Miyako and I looked and looked. We even talked to people who might have had contact with Maron. No one knew where she was. The people we talked to all said the same thing. They hadn't seen or heard from her.

We decided to talk to random strangers, describing a high school girl with brown hair, brown eyes, and fair skin. And also somewhat short in height. There were a few people who thought they had seen her, but when we checked it out, it wasn't Maron; it was just some other girl that happened to look a little bit like her.

Miyako suggested the police, but I wanted to wait for a bit. If she didn't come back by tonight, then we would tell Miyako's father about it, and he would likely launch an investigation. I wanted to wait, though, because I knew how distressed she was. I didn't blame her for wanting to separate herself from society. If even a tenth of my dream was true, then she had gone through a lot, too much for even the strong Maron to handle.

That was why I stayed. I wanted her to give me her burden. I wanted her to feel relieved. I wanted her to talk to me, to let me know what had upset her so much. I wanted to know why she had broken.

"Chiaki..." Miyako mumbled. "Do you have any idea why she's so depressed and angry?"

So it wasn't just me. Everyone around Maron had picked up on her sadness. I myself wasn't entirely sure. A dream alone wasn't enough to prove what was bothering her. Besides, there were many unrealistic dreams that seemed as real as mine had been. It didn't make it any less painful, but it was just a dream, just a vision of my subconscious mind.

"Sorry, she hasn't been very open with me. She's still trying to kick me out, even after all this time," I told her.

She sighed and we discussed where we should look next. Neither of us could come up with anything but to wait by our phones in case she called or came back.

It was afternoon by the time she came home, dressed in her school uniform.

* * *

><p>~Maron's POV~<p>

I opened my door and slipped inside. Hopefully Chiaki was gone and I could get back to the routine I had been in. But what kind of routine was that? All I ever did anymore, aside from today, was mope around lazily. Normally when I was sad I would work extra hard at rythmatic gymnastics, practicing with my ribbon the most. I jumped as high as I could, I flexed myself, I stretched regularly, I pushed myself like crazy. But I was in such a deep tench right now that I could redirect my emotions on school.

As soon as I got inside, Chiaki ran up to me. I immediately prepared myself for the lecture sure to come. He opened his mouth as if he was about to scream at me for leaving. But the lecture I was so sure about never came. His mouth seemed to sag as his eyebrows slowly returned to a normal position.

I waited, unsure of what he was going to do next, or even of what he was thinking right now.

"Chiaki," I began, snatching the opportunity to get a few words in before he lashed out, "I'm not as fragile as you think. I'm strong, strong enough to live on my own. I don't need you to take care of me."

He blinked, as if I had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world.

The surprise quickly wore off. "Maron, all I want to do is help you, not take care of you."

"I don't need help!"

"Yes, you do," he said calmly. "Something is torturing you, isn't it? That's why you lash out. That's why you get so angry. That's why you won't trust anybody."

"Yeah, well the last guy I trusted rap-!" I halted immediately, stuttering as I tried to grasp the reality of what I'd nearly said. I might as well have finished the word; it was pretty obvious what I was about to say.

"Raped?" he finished for me.

"...Someone I knew. He raped someone really close to me," I lied. I sniffled as tears gathered at the rims of my eyes.

Then Chiaki did the most unexpected thing. The one thing I would never have imagined he would do at a time like this. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into an unwanted embrace, refusing to let me go even as I struggled. He knew what he was doing. He knew I didn't want this. He knew that I needed this.

"That someone is you, isn't it?" he whispered in my ear.

I stiffened. The tears that had been so close to falling finally fell without my consent. I knew it was an unbelievable excuse, but I really didn't want anyone to know. Yet at the same time, I was glad someone had figured it out. After all this time spent hiding myself from the world, hiding my secret from everyone I thought I could trust, I had accidentally slipped on my own ice barrier. I had entrusted my secret to Chiaki, the one person who I never wanted to find out. I always thought Miyako would be the first. But Chiaki... Why did it have to be him?

I found myself burying my head into his shirt and nodding. I had officially sealed my fate. Now it was too late to go back. Even if I tried to play it off as a joke, it wouldn't work. Chiaki would never believe this was a joke. It was way too powerful to be a joke or a prank, or something done just for fun.

I noticed that I was shaking uncontrollably. I couldn't help it. I had kept this to myself this whole time. For months I had to bear my secret alone, but now there was someone that shared my knowledge. It was a sweet moment for me. It was probably a bitter moment for Chiaki.

* * *

><p>~Chiaki's POV~<p>

She cried into me for at least two full hours. No wonder she didn't want to talk about it.

_I made a single swift, involuntary movement. She stiffened. There wasn't a word to describe her voice. Even suppressed by my hand, her voice shrieked and seemed to shake my very heart. It was the loudest, most agonizing thing I'd ever heard in my entire life.  
><em>

_I uncovered her mouth. "How did that feel?"  
><em>

_She hiccuped as new tears came to replace the old ones. Her voice quivered. Her words were_ just_ barely below a whisper. "It...hurts..."_

I blinked and almost jerked away from her. The "involuntary movement"... Could that have been...? No, that couldn't have been me.

_She yelped. "Sinbad! Your name is Sinbad!" The poor girl's chest shook as she struggled to breathe through her fear._

No, I had simply put myself in place of whatever was going on. Couldn't really blame me for having doubts though. That entire dream had revolved around her and Sinbad. But I could never have done such a malicious act. It simply wasn't me.

**Author's Note**

Well, this may not be as long as you want it to be, but I forgot where I was going with Chiaki's stuff. So I decided to post this chapter anyway. Hope you enjoyed reading it!_  
><em>


	7. Chapter 7

~Chapter 7~

~Maron's POV~

A month and a half had passed. Chiaki hadn't pressured me to talk much about my no-longer-secret secret. He hadn't asked me who had done it, where it had happened, or even if I felt better since I told him. The only real question he'd asked was if I was okay. Well I would think it was obvious that I wasn't, but I knew he was just trying to be kind.

He hadn't asked me, or didn't notice, the swelling. The lump had almost doubled in size. No matter how many ice packs I put on it, the lump wouldn't go away. The bruise itself had nearly disappeared from sight. All that remained was a stubborn blotch of light brown on my belly. No matter how out of shape I'd gotten, there was no way this was fat. This lump was hard to the touch. Whenever I pressed on it, it felt weird. The bruise hurt a little, but the large bump on my stomach felt strange. I couldn't wear my normal pants or dresses or shirts anymore. Everything had to be stretchy. The lump just kept growing. It wouldn't go away like I thought it would.

And some bizarre things were starting to worry me. I had passed out numerous times, for no real reason. Chiaki told me it might be stress or lack of sleep, but I hadn't been having the nightmares nearly as much since I had confessed to him, and I hadn't gone back to school since that time. Then I felt nauseous, sometimes even throwing up, a lot. And the scariest part was the odd cravings I kept having. Raw pickles, celery, enchiladas, rice cakes, onigiri, curry, strawberry milk, and mustard mixed with lemon juice. Yeah, the first and last ones were flat-out gross, I know. Oh, and then there was also the unnatural laziness I felt all the time. Every time I tried to lift something heavy, like my mattress when I was putting clean sheets on, I almost instantly felt exhausted. Chiaki had to help lift anything else, like the couch when I was vacuuming under it. And I tired too quickly to completely erase hard water stains from my shower. I always ended up flopping on my bed and falling asleep.

The only logical thing I could think of was...I had a disease.

* * *

><p>A couple of days later I scheduled an appointment with a gynecologist. And a week after that, I went to see her. Chiaki hated the idea that I didn't want him to go with me, especially since I might have a sexually transmitted disease. But in the end, I didn't have a choice. I was forced to bring him along.<p>

He walked me to the office, where I was told to take a urine test. I felt kind of embarrassed that Chiaki was there at the time, but it wasn't like I could change what needed to be done.

After that, I was led into a different room to have my blood taken for a blood test. Chiaki was told to stay in the waiting area, just in case I was uncomfortable with him being in the same room while I had my blood taken. They filled at least five viles and gave me some orange juice to drink afterward.

I was busy sipping on it when Chiaki was allowed in.

"How'd it go?" he asked, taking a chair and pulling himself closer to me.

I sighed. "I don't know. They're sending the samples to a lab."

He looked at my arm, which had five band-aids on it. I caught on and added, "Yeah, these people are vampires."

He chuckled.

After I had finished my orange juice, the both of us were led to yet another room. This one was much different from the other rooms I'd been to. The technology and monitor gave it away. This was an ultrasound room. This must be part of the test. Maybe they wanted to know what exactly the swelling was, just in case. This place looked intimidating, like I was being tested for cancer or something. The very thought sent shivers down my spine. I was sure Chiaki felt the same way.

"Okay, I'm Dr. Perot," a woman said as she walked in the room. She turned to me and smiled gently. "We're going to need you to lay down on this bed." She gestured over to the bed sitting in the corner of the room.

I obeyed and tried to get myself comfortable.

"Alright, you all settled?" she asked. What a polite doctor...

I nodded and opened my mouth to say something, but Chiaki intercepted.

"So what exactly are we doing here?" he asked.

Dr. Perot laughed and answered, "We're just going to take a little look-see inside her uterus. It won't take too long."

I felt my cheeks burning at the word, that one word that I didn't want to hear in front of Chiaki. It was embarrassing, but... I stayed still, wanting to get this over with. I couldn't help but dreading whatever they were checking for. It was probably just inflammation, but what if it really was cancer? Or AIDS? Or herpes?

Dr. Perot pulled my shirt up just enough to expose my swollen belly. She whistled. "Oh, wow. Yeah, that's some serious stuff we're looking at."

Nice...

She squirted some cold gel onto my stomach and started smearing it around with some kind of device that was hooked up to a large-ish machine. The TV up in the opposite side of the wall showed a bunch of blurry nothings. It was weird for me, to say the least.

"Okay, we're just going to move it over some. Kind of hard to find anything..." Her voice trailed off, as if she was in some kind of deep trance. She was most likely focused on finding whatever she was looking for.

Finally, after what seemed like millenniums, something very small appeared on the screen. It looked like a little blob, and it was uncertain whether it was cancer or not. Hopefully it was just some kind of infection that would go away with time. When I first saw the doctor's face, lighting up with joy, I was afraid of what she might say next, even though it was bound to be good news.

"Congratulations!" she exclaimed in some kind of delightfully ominous voice.

I felt the color drain from my entire body. I knew Chiaki had to be thinking the same thing as I was. I feared that something even worse than cancer was inside me. At first I thought it was a fetus, but I was wrong. When I looked at the screen, the little blob wasn't moving. It just stayed there, motionless..._lifeless_. Thank goodness for that.

I sighed in relief, and it quickly spread to Chiaki. His tightened muscles relaxed and he took a deep breath.

But it was when I examined the screen again that I saw what I knew Chiaki wouldn't catch. There was a miniscule throb within the figure. The blob wasn't lifeless. It was moving. I prayed that it wasn't what I thought it was. I prayed that it wasn't a baby.

Even though I was dreading the "diagnosis", I refused to let on. Chiaki couldn't know about this, not yet anyway.

I grabbed a towel on the railing of the bed and climbed off of it. I smiled sweetly. "I think I know what it is now. Besides, I have to go. Got things to do, places to go, people to see."

I pulled my shirt back down and waved a goodbye as I made my way not just out of the room, but out of the building itself.

Chiaki ran to catch up to me, pestering me about why I left before I was told what it was.

I sidestepped each question.

**A/N**

**So thanks for reading this, all who have taken their time to read it, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's short, but hopefully the next chapter will be much longer. I have a reason for cutting this short, though. You'll see why in the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

~Chapter 8~

~Maron's POV~

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Fin whispered in my ear. "You've been out of business for awhile..."

I sighed. "I'm a Kaitou. This is my _job_. Besides, I have reasons for doing this."

Yes, it was true. I had returned to the Kaitou business despite what I'd said about the police no longer seeing me around. It was the only thing that was powerful enough and distracting enough to take my mind off the fact that, against my will, I'd become pregnant. And each second felt like a ticking time bomb. I was already three months, which was why my stomach had swelled up. I only had six months left to go. I had thought about an abortion...but... I don't know if it was me being weak or me doing the right thing. I really didn't want this baby, but I really didn't want an abortion.

So I had concluded that after birth, I would give the baby up for adoption. I couldn't have a child interfering with my life. Not right now at least.

I was kind of nervous. This was the first time in forever that I would be tricking the police and sealing another demon. And this time was different from the others because this time I was on duty _and_ I was pregnant. With the extra weight of the baby, doing cartwheels and somersaults and anything else that involved balance and flexibility was going to be very hard. Even bending down felt weird. And on another note, my Kaitou suit was tighter on my waist than ever before. It was really uncomfortable. And that wasn't the only thing bad about the getup. You see, it was pretty obvious that something was going on with my stomach because my suit was so tight around that area. My belly protruded from it and because of my suit, my stomach looked bigger than it already was.

If they hadn't guessed I was pregnant then they were bigger idiots than I thought.

I took one step toward a large house, but I stopped to think this over. Miyako's plans usually involved nets or sleeping gas. I had a baby inside me... I would be lucky to dodge one of those nets. And what of the sleeping gas? I was pretty sure they had a maternity manual somewhere that said "stay away from any unnatural gases". Just because I didn't want the baby didn't mean I wanted to kill it. For all I know the gas was poisonous to unborn children.

But...this was my job. There were people suffering. I had ignored their call for help long enough. I had ignored Fin's plea long enough. Besides, I was Kaitou Jeanne! I was strong and... Argh! I had to factor in the baby, too! I couldn't just run up to the cops anymore. I needed to be sly. Sly like a pregnant fox.

I jumped off my tree branch and landed solidly on the ground. I sighed. Thanks to Sinbad, I wouldn't be able to do my job very easily for the next six months. Talk about taking down your opponent...

I felt much safer now. If you're wondering why I wasn't freaking out like before, it's because Fin was with me this time. Last time she wasn't. Last time I didn't have anyone to look for Sinbad and Access. But now I did, and whenever she told me they were coming, I could flee long before they could catch me.

I ran, Fin flying right at my side. I felt so much safer with her around. Suddenly having a loudmouthed, pesky angel with me didn't seem so bad anymore.

I jumped onto another tree branch, pausing to scope out my destination area. I couldn't find either Access or Sinbad.

"Hey, your stomach is getting bigger," Fin noted.

"I know that!" I hissed.

I continued to locate potential traps and areas that needed to be avoided. As shocked as I was that Fin hadn't noticed my belly before, I knew she wouldn't focus too much on it once we really got into the game. Game Start.

"Rebound Ball," I said, holding up my Petite Claire. In moments a little yellow ball flashed out. I picked it up with my wrist and tested it to make sure the string worked.

And it did, as always.

I flung it and it attached to the top of the roof. The ball then became one of the stickiest substances. I never understood how that worked, but it did and I wasn't about to jinx it with unnecessary questions or complaints.

I jumped off my branch, letting the string carry me across rows and rows of police officers. Unfortunately, though, when I got nearer to the building, I found that my weight had taken a toll on the string, which obviously wasn't used to carrying a hundred and God-knows-how-many pounds. I quickly turned myself sideways, and my shoulder soon slammed into the wall. The thus it made caught everyone's attention, including the officers I had tried to get past.

I groaned as I realized the situation I'd put myself in. Face the facts, I was dangling by my wrist, still attached to that stupid sticky ball. There was nothing I could do.

"It's Jeanne..." I heard one officer, I think his name was Fuyuta, state.

"She's gotten fat," Akita observed.

"I'M NOT FAT!" I yelled to them.

"Sorry! I meant to say you gained weight!" he apologized.

"SHUT UP!" I yelled. "Just get me down from here!"

Everyone soon started commenting on my stomach's size. Even Miyako joined in with, "Don't you think her stomach looks bigger? Or has it always been that way? Maybe it's just her suit. It might've shrunk in the wash..."

Fin fluttered up to me. "Geez..." she started. "You've got to be more careful!"

"Yeah, I can see that now. Thank you for the advice," I said sarcastically. "Now, you think you can get me down?"

"Hm... Try chewing through the string," she suggested.

Worth a shot, I guess...

* * *

><p>~Chiaki's POV~<p>

I saw her hanging by one hand. Her stomach was obviously bigger than I thought it was. Of course, I would never tell her that. It would make Jeanne enraged. Or Maron. Whoever she was at the time. Anyway, she was struggling severely, trying to release herself from the string holding her captive. I had been watching the whole time, but hadn't come out to avoid scaring her. I would never forget the way she acted towards me the last time she saw Sinbad. It roused doubts about my dream being a lie, but I simply couldn't have done something like that. I had sworn to protect her. I would never have beaten her.

But if my dream was somehow true...then she was carrying my child. Even still, even knowing she would face the risk of my appearance, she fought to save the possessed. She was so kind. She was so fragile. I would never do anything like that to her. What happened in my dream was something gruesome and heartbreaking. The only reason I hadn't asked her who had done this was because I was afraid of finding out. I was afraid she would tell me it was Sinbad.

I knew it was my job to seal demons, just like it was her job, but I couldn't bring myself to let her see me. It wasn't just because of my dream, it was also because of her earlier reaction. It wasn't because I was ashamed, it was because I loved her to death. And I never wanted to see that terrified face again. Instead I wanted to see her smile. I wanted to see her take pride in succeeding. I would let her have the next few demons. It was the very least I could do after what she'd been through. It was the very least I could do to see those beautiful lavender eyes of her shine, and those mesmerizing brown eyes of hers sparkle.

"Sinbad," Access whispered, prying my attention from Jeanne. "You have to seal it before she gets free."

"I can't. She's pregnant. And if she falls, she could get seriously hurt," I answered.

He immediately gaped. "She's _what_?"

"Yeah. Someone raped her, and now she's carrying his child. I have to focus on making sure she doesn't get hurt, at least until she figures out how to move around with that stomach of hers," I said. "If she isn't careful, the police might accidentally hurt the baby. It'll devastate her if that happens."

He was silent. He knew I was right. I wasn't that stupid, I knew how sensitive mothers were to their children. By nature, women were more nurturing than men. Jeanne was the perfect definition of nurturing. She refused to hurt the police, no matter what they did to her. She refused to hurt a possessed person that stood in her way, even if it meant her life. She didn't like making people feel bad, no matter how badly they may have hurt her. And this was a child, and not just any child, _her_ child. I knew there was no way she would let it be harmed, but if something happened and she couldn't prevent it, it would kill her inside. She was no longer protecting herself for her sake, I realized, but for the baby's sake. Because whatever happened to her happened to her baby.

I was viciously torn from my thoughts by a feminine scream. I looked just in time to see Jeanne fall from a great height. I was instantly alerted to the mortal danger she was in. Although I was nervous, I knew all too well that she had a plan. And unfortunately for my racing heart, this was part of it.

She proved me correct when she turned horizontally in the air about three fourths of the way down, using her legs to push herself from the wall of the building and flipping to help slow herself. She landed squarely on the top of a police car. Granted, she stumbled around for a bit, but I couldn't blame her. I would've done the same thing had I fallen off a building and almost splattered on the ground.

But now I was ready to laugh. She had not only managed to shock the cops into paralysis, but she had kept both herself and the baby safe. But now she was distanced from her target, and I wondered if she would be able to seal the demon at all. Her belly was so big compared to what it used to be. It threw off her center of gravity by a long shot. I knew it would be so much harder to maneuver now. She relied on her agility to get the job done. The further along she got, the less agile she would become. And when she got so big that she started waddling, her maneuverability would have reached zero. I couldn't see how she would be able to jump around and balance on ropes and beams and pole tops with a fifty-pound beach ball of a belly. But then again, she was extremely unpredictable. She might figure out a way to do all those things. Heck, she might even learn how to use the weight of the baby to her advantage. It was also possible that she wouldn't have to learn anything, that she might just gradually adjust to the steady weight gain and still find ways to jump ten feet in the air.

Needless to say, but...she was the most incredible girl I've ever seen.

* * *

><p>~Maron's POV~<p>

I panted as I stood on the police car, not knowing what to do next. I should've thought this through, but I hardly had the time. I didn't think I'd get this far. The weight of my stomach was more of a burden than I'd anticipated. Even now, as I stood on top of the car, I could feel a force in my front center pulling downward. And as I was dangling by one hand, I felt much heavier than normal. And now...I was getting tired. I had two options: find a way to seal the demon quickly and get out just as quickly, or get out while I still had the chance. I still didn't have much time to make the decision... Sinbad and Access could be here any minute, and they could handle the demon themselves, but it was my job to protect human life. It was theirs to destroy it. I couldn't let that happen. I wouldn't let it happen!

But seeing as I was pregnant... Well, it was hard on me. I couldn't move around like I used to, and I couldn't calculate where I would land if I jumped. It was even harder now that my outfit was trying to suppress my tummy. It felt so tight that I couldn't ignore it even though I knew I needed to focus on both avoiding the police and sealing the demon.

"Jeanne, are you alright?" Fin asked as she fluttered up to me.

"I think so..." I breathed. "It's not going to be as easy as I thought. The baby's weighing me down..."

"Baby? What do you mean?" she asked.

I groaned, shocked that she was an angel, yet she had no idea even after all this time that I was pregnant. If anything, she should've been the first to know! "I'm pregnant, Fin. And the extra weight is a huge strain on my body."

"You're pregnant! Why? How? Well, I know how, but who?" she babbled.

"Not important. What's the fastest way to the demon without getting caught?" I asked, huffing as I struggled to catch my breath.

"Well, I'm not really sure. When I checked, there were police everywhere, including inside the building. And unfortunately, the painting is right in the center of it all... You'll have to fight your way through if you want to reach it," she replied, suddenly re-focused on the mission.

I felt myself breathing much harder, much faster, than normal. I felt like I couldn't suck in enough air. It felt like I wasn't breathing at all, like I was suffocating! My lungs were trying to hard to get oxygen, but it felt like there just wasn't any left to get, like something or someone had snatched up all the available air, and I was left with nothing. Tears started to sting my eyes as I realized I was hyperventilating. I couldn't talk, couldn't breathe... Couldn't tell Fin that I couldn't fight in this condition... Couldn't hold on...

I grabbed my chest, as if that would help me. To make matters worse, the police, although still stunned, were already surrounding me. They knew I was hyperventilating. It was the perfect time. They would strike me while I was down. While I couldn't fight back. While I didn't have a chance against them.

Fin tried to ram some of the officers, confusing them, but she would never be able to ward them off long enough for me to recover.

I dropped to one knee, feeling like I was about to die right on the spot. You know how it feels when you're choking and it seems like you just can't get the food out of your throat, but there's no one there to help you? That was how I felt right now, except I seemed to be choking on air. I couldn't talk... There would be no persuasive arguments. But at least I could hear some of them guessing I was pregnant, just from the looks of my stomach. Maybe that would be enough to make them go easy just this once. But it was highly unlikely. They'd already let me go once, and this time I didn't think they were game for letting me off the hook again.

My lungs began to hurt. I was breathing as hard and as fast as I ever had before. My entire body trembled as it tried to keep me up, but soon my vision got blurry. I felt like I was starting to float away. I felt so light...kind of like there wasn't a ground beneath me...like I was weightless...

* * *

><p>~Chiaki's POV~<p>

I had been watching the whole thing, but for some reason Jeanne was still sitting on to of the police car, not doing a thing to get away. Had Miyako done something? No, that couldn't be it. Miyako was probably even more shocked than the rest of the officers. She hadn't had time to do anything yet. What in the world was Jeanne doing? didn't she realize that they were about to catch her? There were cops all around her! Surely she had to see that!

And suddenly she keeled over, tumbling off the car. Gasps from the group sent shivers down my spine as the officers in front immediately stepped back, obviously not expecting this. Miyako and a few others were the first to regain their bearings and rush over to assist her. What just happened? Why did she suddenly pass out? She hadn't been through too much, considering she'd faced worse than a building before. So why...? DUH! She was pregnant, that was why! How could I have forgotten that? Right now, her body was giving more energy to the baby's growth than it was to her. Her adrenaline levels spiked when she fell, using up what little energy her body could supply. And as her heart rate increased, her blood pressure rose. It was too much for her to take, and she had collapsed.

Her pregnancy was a more serious issue than I first thought. She had just been completely immobilized by the very thing she was trying to protect. I had to help, whether I wanted to be seen or not. Besides, she was unconscious anyways. Might as well come to her aid before she woke up and stressed herself over my presence.

And I was no expert, but I knew frequent and severe stress could spell death for the baby.

My decision made, I ran towards her as fast as my legs would take me.


	9. Chapter 9

~Chapter 9~

~Chiaki's POV~

I had managed to scoop up the unconscious Jeanne and take off before the police could comprehend what was going on. No wonder she had missed her target of the top of the building... She weighed much more than she used to. I suspected she weighed around twenty pounds more. But I knew that a ton of weight was packed on to support and incubate both mother and child.

Jeanne was completely limp in my arms. She would have no memories of what happened. I just hoped Fin wouldn't tell her. This girl, who was so precious to me, the girl whom I held so dear to my heart, was scared of my alter-ego. I refused to believe why, but a nagging feeling kept telling me I was to blame for her pregnancy _and_ her fear. But I would never do such a horrible and brutal thing...

Once I knew I we were a safe distance from the police, I gently set her down on the grass. When I was able to get close enough to her, she really did look like an angel. Her blonde hair was like a halo... In my eyes she was perfect. No matter how terrified of me she had become.

She was still out cold, and she definitely wouldn't be waking any time soon. It would be awhile before she would so much as twitch, which meant I had plenty of time to just sit with her and bask in her company. She would likely kill me for this if she was awake, but...I couldn't help myself... I put a hand over her stomach. It was hard to the touch, nothing like I imagined it to be. I smiled as I conjured up and image of a little bump under my hand, vanishing just as soon as it appeared. Somehow, with my hand on her belly, I found it much easier to imagine a little life in there kicking me. I had never wanted kids, but...seeing her, knowing she was carrying the most precious gift anyone could receive, I didn't mind being a father. Of course, I hadn't sired this child, but it wasn't her fault she got pregnant.

In fact, I was so overwhelmed with joy and happiness that I found myself talking to her unborn child. I hardly knew what I was saying. Just things like, "Hi, there." and, "I bet you'll be so cute when you're born!" It was embarrassing, really. But I was alone right now. It was my private time with Jeanne and her baby. It might seem strange, but I felt so honored and privileged to be part of this special moment. And I had taken so much pride in the fact that I had protected what already felt like my family. I felt fulfilled that I had rescued her. And I found myself eager to know whether it was a boy or a girl, and I just couldn't wait until the moment it was born, when I would get to see it up close, when I would get to hold it and hear it mumble its first little baby sounds.

I couldn't resist. I leaned down and kissed Jeanne's stomach. I loved the baby so much. I never thought I could love anything this much. Never even thought it was possible to harbor this much pure love for something that I couldn't see or feel or hear. But I knew what it was, and I knew where it was. And I knew that it was going to be birthed by a kind, loving, gentle person.

"Sinbad!" Access exclaimed, obviously having been watching the whole time. Obviously having seen everything I'd been doing. And saying...

I shot my head up and met him eye to eye. "I...uh..."

"She's going to kill you if she finds out about this..." he warned in a nonchalant tone.

I sighed in relief, having previously thought he was going to tease me for being so fond of Jeanne's baby. "Don't worry, she's out cold." I couldn't help but smile under the cloth that covered my mouth. It was still clear I was smiling though. That white cloth wasn't hiding anything. "Besides, I couldn't help myself."

"I know you love her... But for her sake, you can't be doing this. Maybe it's okay right now, because she's obviously not waking up anytime soon, but don't get into a habit of-"

"I know," I interrupted. "It's just this once."

He sighed. He opened his mouth to say something, but froze when he looked into the tree Jeanne was leaning against.

Fin alighted on the ground beside me. I expected her to try to wake Jeanne up, but she didn't. I expected her to beat the crap out of Access, but she didn't. I expected her to yell at us for being so close to Jeanne...but she didn't.

"Thank you for helping her," she said softly.

We both relaxed when she said that.

"Why is she pregnant? And who's the father?" Fin suddenly asked, much louder this time. She didn't mean to be loud, she was just worried for her friend. She only wanted to know what was going on, that was all.

I glanced at Jeanne's swollen stomach. I had noticed that the swelling wouldn't go down. I didn't know why. At first I'd suspected it was from the hit she endured. But when the lump on her stomach just kept growing, I started to suspect she might have been with child. But I didn't say anything, just in case I was wrong. However, when she decided to consult a gynecologist, I somehow knew. I wanted to believe I was wrong about the whole thing, so I still didn't say anything to her. But when I saw the little blob on the ultrasound, and a very tiny throb inside of it, I knew I was right and my my doubts were no more.

I sighed, knowing this was going to be very hard on her. There was no way she could keep this up. But she would keep trying, no matter how dangerous things got. That was just how she was, stubborn as a mule. I knew how much being a Kaitou meant to her. But she had to snap out of it and realize that she wasn't going to win with a growing belly. And what would she do when the baby started moving? When it started kicking? It would be extremely uncomfortable and there was just no way she would be able to ignore it. It would distract her, something she couldn't afford when she was facing both the police and the demon. She wouldn't stay flexible forever. But no matter what, she would keep trying. She would keep going at no matter what happened.

And it wasn't just her. I had to find a way to protect her without being seen. And I highly doubted she would keep fainting to let me do that. This time I'd been lucky, but next time could be very different. I wished she would trust me, at least enough to help her. I knew she wouldn't, though. It would be tough for me, but I would have no choice but to continuously find ways to help her out or come to her aid if needed. I had no clue how I was going to keep pulling this off.

But for now, at least, she was safe from any harm. I was here, Access was here, and Fin was here. I had two scouts and myself to act as her shield. Because if she got caught, she would be thrown in jail, pregnant or not. And for all the items she'd "stolen" and for all the times she'd resisted police, she would be there for quite awhile. And if she got caught, she would be forced to give birth in jail. They would take the baby from her. And she would die emotionally. She would never see that child again, she would never know where it was or what had become of it.

But the father of that same child...it couldn't be me, right? So who was it? Iinchou had been possessed twice already, and each time he'd gone after Maron in hopes of winning her love by force. Could a demon have possessed him for a third time? Was it possible that he was the father? ...No. Jeanne had to be ten times stronger than him, and even if empowered by the demon, she was more agile than he or the demon could ever hope to be. It would be too easy to evade him, especially given that she wasn't pregnant yet. So who was it? Who was strong enough to take her down?

I was. I was much stronger than her in many ways, and she'd managed to match my strength with her agility. But that was just it. I had the strength to overpower her. But...but even though I was strong enough to take her down, that didn't mean I would. I would never use my strength against her unless it was required to protect her. If I had done that to her...if I was the father...and if I was using my strength to protect her... No! There was no possible way rape would be an option of protection! I wouldn't and couldn't have done it! No matter how many doubts I had about this, it wasn't me!

But that still left me with the question of who had gotten her pregnant. And it still left me with the question of who, setting aside myself, was capable of combating Jeanne's superior agility. Not to mention her intelligence. She had a plan for everything and always expected the unexpected. She was so vigilant and cautious... It seemed impossible to that she would have let herself be reduced to this level. I knew very well that anything was possible, but it was so unlikely that she would've let her guard down. It seemed so unreal, like it just couldn't have happened even though I knew it had.

What had happened that night? I'd only been able to see part of what happened. Even though I got the point, I wanted to know everything. Her head was bleeding at the beginning of my dream, which could only mean there was more to it. There was more she had suffered, and I didn't know what. I didn't know, and it was killing me! But I also didn't want to pressure her into talking about it. She wouldn't want to relive that moment.

"Someone answer me!" Fin demanded, bringing me out of my thoughts. "One of you has to know, otherwise Sinbad wouldn't have stayed here. Tell me why she woke up every night screaming 'Don't touch me!' Tell me why she locked me out all those times! Tell me why she's never been herself since that one night she tried to seal a demon!"

"I-I don't really know that much.." I said truthfully. I knew she was raped, but that was all. I couldn't answer the Jun-Tenshi's questions.

She nodded to me, but quickly after turned to Access. "Then you have to answer me, Access! I want to know what's going on and I know you have the answers I'm looking for!"

Access froze, his eyes soon brimming with tears. "I...I'm sorry...I don't...I don't want to..."

Fin growled and screamed, "I don't care if you don't want to! Jeanne has had me worried sick for months, Access! MONTHS! You _will_ tell me everything! NOW, ACCESS!"

The Kuro-Tenshi backed off a little ways and looked away from Fin.

"ACCESS!" she screeched. "YOU BETTER-"

"Okay!" he interrupted. "The father is Sinbad..."

Fin stayed very silent, probably not knowing what to think or say.

But I knew what to say. I stood up in my own defense, saying, "It's not me! I would never, _ever_-"

"But you did! And you _are_ the father!" he shouted. "See, I'm not sure whether she told you this or not, but it all started when she was about to seal a demon... Jeanne was on the rooftop of a building, already holding up her pin. You arrived right then, and right when you and I arrived, the demon switched its target. It was determined to stop Jeanne this time, so its new target was you, Sinbad. Right when she was about to throw the pin, you tackled her to the ground. And...what came next... I should've tried to stop you, but...I couldn't! I was too horrified..."

He wouldn't continue.

"Access, what did I do? You need to tell me what I did!" I said.

He looked at me. I'd never seen him cry until now.

"Access, was my dream true? Did I really do all that to her?" I asked, secretly begging him to tell me it wasn't true.

He sniffled and replied, "I never thought you would remember anything, and I didn't want to hurt you by telling you... But now she's pregnant, and I can't keep anything a secret anymore... But to answer your question, yes. I'm sure I know what dream you're talking about. It wasn't just a dream, it was a flashback. Everything in that dream happened... That's why Jeanne freaked out when she saw you at the construction site. That's why she's so scared of you now. She thinks you're evil, and she's scared you'll do it again. And to answer another question, I was the one who sealed the demon who possessed you. I hadn't given you the pin yet, so I was still carrying it. After you ran off, I dropped the pin on the demon and sealed it. When I found you, you had no memory of what happened. So I tried to keep it a secret..."

And now that she was pregnant, the obvious question was, who was the father? As much as I wanted to slap him away and say he was lying, that it wasn't true, that I had done nothing of the sort, I couldn't. Deep down I knew what he told me was true. And it suddenly made sense why she had instantly become so terrified of Sinbad. Now I had even more reason to keep my identity a secret from her. She couldn't know that Chiaki was Sinbad. She relied on Chiaki, trusted Chiaki. And I could never be able to bring myself to tell her. She wouldn't believe me if I told her what Access had just told me. Like Access said, she thought I was evil and would do it again. But if I tried to explain what really happened, that a demon had possessed me at the last second, she would never believe it.

"Sinbad...what exactly did you do to her?" Fin asked, strangely quiet. Almost timidly. Almost as if she already knew.

"I...I..." Well, I couldn't find the right words. What was I supposed to tell her? That I had made Jeanne suffer the most brutal, gruesome rape in the history of rapes? That I had not only gotten her pregnant, but had beaten her to a pulp before trying to finish her off? That I had been the one who had given her all those horrible nightmares and bruises? I couldn't tell Fin anything. I was too ashamed, for one, and she would be hurt so badly... Fin had done nothing wrong. She had worried for her friend's safety. Fin was Maron's family, the only one Maron had to love and take care of. And Fin had, in turn, taken care of Maron.

I just couldn't tell her what had really happened...

I looked to Access for help, but he was busy crying his eyes out as he remembered all that had happened.

"I'm sorry, Fin," I said, "but I can't tell you. You'll have to get Jeanne to tell you."

* * *

><p>~Maron's POV~<p>

I woke up and, remembering the police, jumped into a defensive stance. But there was no one there. Had the police released me into...what looked like a park? Probably. Or maybe not... I wasn't really sure. The police were kind of...persistent. _Especially_ with Miyako around. And what became of the demon? I had passed out, so... Sinbad would surely have sealed it by now. I had failed, but only this once. I wouldn't make the same mistake of dangling by a single hand off the roof of a building ever again. But my weight gain made it hard to pinpoint exactly where I would land. The rebound ball couldn't be used. At least not until I gave birth to this baby and made sure it found a good home with kind people to care for it.

Maybe I should put Kaitou Jeanne aside. At least for the next six months. It was too hard to seal demons like this. But if Sinbad and Access got the demons... Oh...I just couldn't let the human race be destroyed! I really had let them get enough demons already anyway. I might as well learn how to move around. Perhaps practicing rythmatic gymnastics would help. The knowledge and flexibility sure came in handy when I was "stealing" something. And I really needed to get back in shape. Not to mention figure out some new moves or strategies...something! Ugh. This baby was causing me so much trouble, and it wasn't even born yet! I sighed, knowing I would have to expect a long and hard road ahead of me.


	10. Chapter 10

~Chapter 10~

~Maron's POV~

I let the transformation wear off to avoid suspicion. Maron could face the public but Jeanne couldn't.

I walked along, knowing the city inside and out. I wouldn't get lost. I already knew where my complex was and how to get there. Now, how I randomly ended up far away from the police as well as the site of the demon, I had no idea. A sleepwalking sort of thing was all I could think of. Or maybe one of the officers really did take pity on me and carried me to safety. Either way, I woke up a good distance away.

Don't get me wrong, I wanted to go back and finish what I started, but I knew physically that it wasn't possible without getting caught. From now until at least six months later, no more notices. Sinbad and Access seemed to keep track of that. They had to be keeping track of it. If there weren't any more notices from Kaitou Jeanne, the police would never know where I would show up next or what valuable treasure I would plan to steal.

But for now I just focused on getting back home... I was utterly exhausted, completely drained from tonight. It was the first time I had failed to even get near my targeted object. I just... It was a shameful act on my part. Obviously Sinbad and Access hadn't shown up, at least not before I was taken away, so that was good. They wouldn't have seen me dangling so pathetically after hitting the wall due to _how_ many extra pounds? They wouldn't have seen me chew through the string like Fin had advised. And they wouldn't have seen me pass out on top of a police car. I would admit I was shocked, even as it was in motion, that I could still do such a perfect aerobatic twist, push, and flip while sticking a landing. It was surprising but at least it proved that I didn't have to hang up righteous thievery yet. Hopefully I wouldn't have to hang it up at all. If not for my notice cards, the police wouldn't be able to pinpoint my next appearance and what time that appearance would be made. So if those notice cards disappeared...how would they track me? It seemed like a pretty good plan. The only problem was if the person being possessed by the demon suspected they would be a prime target for me. They would call the police, the police would come, and I likely wouldn't be able to fulfill the mission.

"Maron!" I heard a small female voice cry out.

I turned to look over my shoulder and saw Fin rush towards me.

"Maron!" she cried again. "Are you okay now? Are you hurt anywhere? How are you doing?"

How was I doing? Was I hurt? Was I okay? Well shall we think about that for a moment, hm? Um, well, my ability to trust people was completely shattered about three months ago after my lovely encounter with my rival Kaitou. But yeah, of course I was fine. Of course there would be no long-term effect. I mean, pregnancy, that was _obviously_ "okay", right? Tsh. The stupidest questions, I swear...

"Just...back off, Fin..." I growled.

"You told me you would answer my questions!" she protested, that certain tone in her voice forcefully reminding me of what I had promised.

My eyes narrowed and I merely turned back around to keep walking, which was honestly taking a toll on me already. Even walking was getting difficult... I chose to place the blame on my severe lack of exercise. I would have to get Chiaki off my back so I could practice. He didn't know I was pregnant yet, and he probably wouldn't know until I _really_ started to show. Not that I wanted to think about that...

"Maron..." she pressed.

I pivoted to meet her desperate eyes. So what if any part of her held desperation? What did it matter to me? What did it matter to anyone? If she was so desperate, then why not go pester someone else for answers? Why me?

"Things. Change," I hissed, pointing an accusing finger at her.

She sighed in resignation. I was actually waiting for her to try to guilt me or something but she did nothing of the sort. Her eyes held all the words she had to say. I ignored every last one of them. Why did I even bother with her? Why did I even bother with anyone? Even Chiaki! Why would I blatantly let him into my home only to give up on trying to kick him back out? And worse, he was male. I hated males. They were nothing but horrible creatures put on this world to spread hatred and kill love.

Well now it was like all love had evaporated.

That settled it. Chiaki had to go. I'd prefer Miyako if anyone. Fin had been at my throat for too long and I'd had it up to my neck with her! My soul was starting to wrench and twist whenever I saw that little Jun-Tenshi. She need to grasp the concept of silence. What was so wrong with silence? It was peaceful. It let me think. It let me think about things that could distract me from other thoughts that weren't exactly pleasant.

* * *

><p>I reached my home and quietly snuck inside. It was sad when you had to sneak inside your own house when you lived y yourself to begin with. Well, I was supposed to live on my own. Ever since Chiaki came...<p>

I sighed and checked my surroundings. He wasn't here. Then where was he...?

Having Chiaki around gave me a sense of safety, to a certain level. It gave me the motivation to act more like my old self. I started actually moving again. I would clean more. I didn't have as many nightmares. I wouldn't wake up screaming as often. And I'd completely stopped rubbing myself raw. What if that all changed when he left? What if I went back to that lethargic, depressed state I was in before he came?

Whatever. Just whatever. I didn't care anymore. I would be fine, I would remain this way at the very least and work on getting better by myself. I didn't need his help; I didn't need anyone's help. I was strong-

Was I...? Was I really as strong as I wanted to be...?

Yes, I was. I was a big girl before and I'm still a big girl. Pretty sure I could take care of myself, especially having been forced to do so after all these years. I never complained about not having a family. I sat back and watched as others complained about their own families, who _did_ love them. Oh, this person got grounded. Oh, that person wasn't allowed to have a license yet. Yeah, that was such a concern for me. Those little things proved a parent's love for their child. My parents left me behind while they separated, both going overseas to some other place. And I had been waiting ever so patiently for a letter from them, checking my mailbox every single day with a shimmer of hope that there would be something there. But alas, there was nothing. And over the past few months I hadn't even come out to check.

And see? I'd handled that all on my own, every day, every minute, without anyone's help. I could take care of myself like I always have.

I heard the doorknob turn and dashed to my room, quickly closing and locking the door. I didn't...I didn't want to be seen right now. Fin was here but I'd grown quite accustomed to having her following me wherever I went. She needed to stop that; I was overly ready to trap her under a glass cup or something just so she would stay put and let me have my freedom.

"Maron?" a male voice called out. Chiaki.

I let my feet carry me to my bed, where I gladly flopped onto it and buried my face in the covers. I loved, yet at the same time hated, this silence. Other than my name, Chiaki hadn't uttered another word. Was I ever grateful for that...

I heard his footsteps stop just outside my bedroom door and stiffened. I knew he would come in. I knew he _could_ come in. He would use a stupid paper clip to pick lock the door and open it to find me plopped onto my bed.

He knocked softly. "Maron?"

What, what did he want? I just wanted him gone. And I mean gone for good, not gone and then come back ten minutes later. Not even the gesture could be appreciated this time. I'd heard the phrase "It's the thought that counts". Well he needed to stop thinking he could barge in like this all the time.

I sighed again and waited for the inevitable.

And sure enough, it wasn't two seconds later before the door opened, the lock having waged war on a paper clip and lost to it. Nice.

"Maron, are you awake?" Chiaki asked, his voice just above a whisper.

I had only a few seconds to decide what to do: pretend to be sleeping so he would go away and give me a break or take my chances now and try to kick him out before further harm could be done? Choice number one could fail because if he chose to stay beside me, even if he thought I was asleep, then I would never be able to find peace knowing he was right there. Choice number two could fail because he might not want to leave and he might refuse no matter what. At that point I could simply tell him I was pregnant. He would know not to stress me out.

But I was pretty tired and I would probably end up falling asleep anyway, so I did the more logical thing and pretended to be sleeping. I would kick him out later, when I was rested enough to stand on two feet without wanting to sit right back down again. Hopefully this would work out, he would go away, and I could do what I wanted. I could rest and be happier than when he was around like he had been for the past two months. That was plenty of time for me to have recuperated. Now his job was done; now he could leave calmly. If he didn't leave calmly, I would be stressed. I would tell him I was pregnant. He would shut up and get out of here. It was a win-lose, though. I didn't want anyone to worry about me and knowing I was pregnant... Well... Needless to say it would raise some red flags.

I would sleep now, kick him out later. He had overstayed his welcome and the funny thing was, he had never been welcome to begin with. Tolerated, yes, but never actually welcomed. But either way, as soon as nap time was over, I would be getting my life back and his little reign would end. No more bossing me around telling me to get up early in case I decided to go to school. No more stern lectures about depression and how it could have dire effects mentally and physically. And no more "help" with my own life. It was over once I woke up so I hope he enjoyed his time while it still lasted.

**Author's Note**

**Wow. Did I just disappear off the face of the planet? I do believe I did... How long as it been since the last update? Feels like a year! Okay, so next chapter up. Sorry for those of you who have completely forgotten this story. I have no excuses except that my obsessions always jump from place to place, but always gravitate back to Danny Phantom. I've been watching KKJ episodes recently so I'm back in business with these stories. **

**Just...let me get a little more accustomed to fitting back in here, okay? I need a little time to integrate back into the KKJ fandom. **

**Uh, anyway, please review and everything that authors are supposed to say. You know. Blah blah blah.**


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